CHARLESTON — Southern West Virginia delegates are filling many a seat on House of Delegates committees in a shift announced by Speaker Rick Thompson that reflects the political realignment that finds the Republicans occupying 46 of the 100 desks in the chamber.

From a southern perspective, there certainly is no dearth of representation.

Harry Keith White, D-Mingo, stays on as finance chairman, and his committee includes, among others, Delegates Rick Moye, D-Raleigh; Linda Phillips, D-Wyoming; Ray Canterbury, R-Greenbrier; and Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer.

Delegate Linda Sumner, R-Raleigh, will serve as vice chair of the Education Committee, while another veteran educator, David Perry, D-Fayette, is a member from southern West Virginia, along with Adam Young, D-Nicholas; George Ambler, R-Greenbrier; and Roy Cooper, R-Monroe.

Perry was named vice chair of the Health and Human Resources Committee, headed by Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne.

Other regional lawmakers on that panel are Clif Moore, D-McDowell; Margaret Staggers, D-Fayette; Karen Arvon, R-Raleigh; and Moye.

Staggers remains as chair of the Roads and Transportation Committee, while Phillips will act as her vice chair, and Gearheart is minority vice chair.

Others on the roads committee are Ambler and two Mercer County Republicans — John Shott and Joe Ellington.

Tim Miley, D-Harrison, continues as judiciary chairman, and on that same panel from this region will be Delegate John O’Neal, R-Raleigh; Delegate John Pino, D-Fayette; Moore and Shott.

The lone regional lawmaker on the Rules Committee is Sumner.

Delegate David Walker, D-Clay, heads the agriculture committee, while Canterbury will serve as minority vice chair, and Ambler is a member.

Staggers and Josh Nelson, R-Boone, the first Republican in Boone County’s history to win a seat in the House, will serve on the Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Committee.

Pino will serve as vice chair of the Natural Resources Committee, which includes Moore, Moye, Canterbury and Shott.

Moore remains chairman of the Banking & Insurance Committee, one that includes Perry, O’Neal and Shott.

Sumner will be the minority chair of the Political Subdivisions Committee. Moye, Perry and Gearheart will serve with her.

Ellington is to be minority vice chair of Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business, while Arvon and Nelson are on the same committee.

Moore, Nelson and O’Neal were named to the Constitutional Revision Committee, while Moye is vice chair of the Senior Citizens Issues Committee, and O’Neal is minority vice chair. The same panel includes Moore, Perry, Pino, Arvon and Sumner.

Named to Government Organization were Staggers and Arvon.

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com