The following is a release from the office of Sen. Cyrus Habib, who represents Kirkland from the 48th District:

State Sen. Cyrus Habib (D Bellevue) was selected this past week to serve on the Platform Committee for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Appointed by DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and ratified by the DNC Executive Committee, Habib is one of a small group of 25 party leaders and elected officials slated for the Platform Committee. This summer, he will join fellow democratic leaders from across the country to develop the Party’s national platform.

Habib, who is currently a candidate for Lieutenant Governor, lost his eyesight to cancer as a child, but went on to become a Rhodes Scholar, Yale Law School graduate, and attorney at Perkins Coie. In 2012 he became the first and only Iranian American elected to a state office, and now serves in the leadership role of Senate Democratic Whip. In the Legislature Habib has introduced legislation to require paid sick leave statewide, to cap prescription drug copays, and to allow investor crowdfunding for startup businesses.

“It is an immense privilege to be asked to help develop our Party’s national platform,” Habib said. “Washington State has long led the country on issues of social, environmental, and economic justice, and I look forward to representing our priorities at the national level as I participate in setting the Democratic agenda for the next four years.”

“I am extremely proud of the experienced group of individuals who are ready and dedicated to serving our Party on the Convention Committees,” said DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a press release. “This slate represents the great variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences that make up our Party.”

The Platform Committee is one of three Standing Committees associated with the 2016 convention being held in Philadelphia, the others being the Credentials Committee and the Rules Committee. The committee will be co-chaired by Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, and other members joining Habib include SEIU President Mary Kay Henry, NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue, San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, and singer-songwriter and political activist Carole King.