EO MEDIA GROUP - Oregon House and Senate leaders have made committee leadership assignments.

Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek announced committee assignments for the 2017 legislative session, which kicks off Feb. 1.

House committee assignments include:

• Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, succeeds Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie, as chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

• Rep. Ken Helm, D-Washington County, replaces Jessica Vega Pederson, D-Portland, as chairperson of Energy and Environment.

• Rep. Jeff Reardon, D-Happy Valley, heads Higher Education and Workforce Development after Chairman Rep. Tobias Read, D-Beaverton, takes office in January as the new state treasurer.

• Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, succeeds Rep. John Lively, D-Springfield, as chairman of Veterans and Emergency Preparedness. Lively will remain on the committee and has taken on other committee assignments next year.

Among Senate committee changes:

• Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, takes over as chairman of Environment and Natural Resources, from Sen. Chris Edwards, D-Eugene, who resigned to take a position at the University of Oregon.

• Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland, succeeds Dembrow as head of the Workforce Committee, which Dembrow will no longer serve on.

Changes in committee membership and leadership take effect in January, when committees will hold organizational meetings.

• House Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, chairs the Rules Committee after Sen. Diane Rosenbaum, D-Portland, chose not to seek reelection.