Democrat Timothy J. Ryan is the second Valley lawmaker in as many weeks to be appointed to the powerful House Appropriations Committee, making Trumbull County probably the only county in the nation with two representatives on the influential spending committee.
Ryan announced Tuesday he regained the assignment he held from 2006 to 2011, which is when Republicans took control of the House of Representatives after the 2010 mid-term election and made committees smaller.
A combination of Democrats retiring and losing 2012 elections let Ryan, who maintained his place on the seniority list, back on appropriations.
Calling the appointment a ''huge honor,'' Ryan, in a news release, said he'll continue to work with university, economic development and elected official partners to ''continue to make the needed investments'' to remake the regional economy.
''By investing into cutting-edge manufacturing, business software development and an educated work force, we can build on our recent success,'' said the Niles Democrat.
Last week, Ryan was named to the Steering and Policy Committee, a leadership committee in the Democrat caucus that makes committee assignments.
Also last week, freshman lawmaker Republican Dave Joyce, from the 14th Congressional District, was appointed by Republicans to the committee.
Joyce, the prosecutor in Geauga County, was one of two just-elected GOP lawmakers among the six new Republicans appointed to the committee.
He was elected to replace Steve LaTourette, who is leaving Congress after 18 years.
Joyce didn't respond to an email from the Tribune Chronicle on Tuesday, but he told the Plain Dealer last week he was honored by the selection and is looking forward to the process of ''protecting and saving taxpayer dollars.''
In 2013, the committee will have jurisdiction over about $1.04 trillion.
The six-county 14th District includes the two most northern tiers of communities in Trumbull County, and Ryan's new 13th District accounts for the rest, making for the unique situation of having two lawmakers representing the same county on the prestigious committee.
Jennifer Hing, appropriations committee communications director, said this type of situation has happened before - in the 1970s and 1980s - but believes this is the only instance now.
It also happened when Ryan and LaTourette served on the committee a few years back.
Before Congress cooled to earmark spending in 2011, among what Ryan brought back to Trumbull County was $1 million for the expansion of the National Packard Museum in Warren; $1.5 million for upgrades at the Packard Music Hall; $2 million to improve the former Ravenna Arsenal; and $2 million for the Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center in downtown Warren.