Topeka ? Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence, has been named to chair the House Committee on Government, Technology and Security during the 2018 legislative session.

In a statement, Sloan said the main charge of the committee would be reviewing strategies to improve the state’s cyber security efforts to protect taxpayer data.

Outside the Legislature, Sloan serves on the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Broadband Deployment Working Group, which he said has given him insight into the nature of the country’s digital infrastructure and its vulnerability.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft policy that will best position Kansas to thrive in the ever-changing digital age,” Sloan said in the statement.

Sloan, who has served in the Legislature since 1995, also chairs the House Committee on Water and Environment, which is charged with developing long-term funding plans for state water conservation initiatives.