Grundy Reporter

State Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) will be Republican spokesperson for two House committees to which she’s been appointed.

House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) appointed Haas, who is House assistant minority leader, to five House committees, a news release said. She will be spokesperson for the Mental Health & Addiction plus House Health Care Availability & Access committees.

Other committees Haas will serve on are the House Appropriations – Health & Human Services, Prescription Drug Affordability and Human Services committees. She will also serve on the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.

“I am looking forward to getting to work in Springfield this session on (the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules) which takes an essential role in the way our government works and serves people throughout our state,” Haas, who represents the 79th House District of Kankakee, Will and Grundy counties, said in the release. “While JCAR is a new addition for me, I am excited to build on the work I have done throughout my tenure on the mental health and human services-based committees.”

Having a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s with a specialization in mental health, Haas worked for 30 years as a social worker, her biography web page said. She joined the Helen Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health in 1994 and became its CEO in 2000. Jackie – who advocates expanding health care, early childhood development and economic opportunity – was on the Kankakee County Board from 2018 to 2020. 

“As a social worker, I understand how critical access to healthcare and behavioral health services, as well as human services and affordable prescription medication, are to Illinoisans,” Haas said in the release. “I’m eager to return to the Capitol to discuss and debate these issues in committees, and advance legislation to make improvements in these areas.”