Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Republican speaker of the Mississippi House has shuffled committee assignments in a way that makes it easier to pass charter school legislation he supports.

Speaker Philip Gunn recently moved Democrat Linda Whittington of Schlater off the Education Committee and made her vice chairwoman of the Tourism Committee.

The move comes after the resignation of Republican Rep. Tommy Woods of Byhalia.

Gunn says Whittington's new assignment should help the Delta and create more diversity by putting a Democratic woman into a vice chairmanship.

Whittington says she hopes the Delta will see some benefit through her new assignment on Tourism. However, she wanted to stay on the Education Committee as an advocate for public schools.

Whittington helped organize votes to defeat a charter schools bill in the Education Committee this year.