Congressman Dan Kildee now appointed 'assistant whip' - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(01/08/13) - He's been a member of Congress for less than a week, but already Congressman Dan Kildee holds two leadership roles within the Democratic caucus. You can now add "assistant whip" to the freshman congressman's growing resume.

Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, the number two House Democrat after Nancy Pelosi, announced Kildee's appointment Tuesday. In this role, Kildee will assist the Democratic leadership in managing legislative business on the House floor.

Hoyer says Kildee will bring a new and valued perspective to the table.

Besides assistant whip, Kildee has also been elected to represent the freshmen Democrats on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, where he helped assign members to their various committees.

Kildee says the appointment is good for his constituents as well.

"One of the things it does is it puts me in proximity to leadership more often. So when policy is being formulated, when the Democratic position is being put together on a particular issue, I'll be part of that conversation. So if there's something coming to the floor, if there are amendments being proposed, I can make sure the conversation includes how this affects Flint, Saginaw, Bay City and the rest of our District," he said.

Mid-Michigan is well represented in the 113th congress. Tuesday, republican congresswoman Candice Miller announced she'll serve as vice-chair of the House Homeland Security Committee while Rep. Dave Camp remains chair of the Ways and Means Committee.