Brenda Jones sworn into House for final weeks of 2018

Rep. Brenda Jones (D-Mich.) was sworn in on Thursday to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) for the final weeks of 2018.

Speaker Paul Ryan administered the oath of office to Jones as a handful of her Democratic colleagues, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), looked on from the House floor.

“It is time to get to work,” Jones said in brief remarks aimed at her constituents. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves during this lame duck session, do what you expect me to do and join my colleagues in getting the job done for the 13th Congressional District and for the United States of America.”

{mosads}It is the first time Michigan’s 13th Congressional District will have a representative since Conyers resigned in December 2017 amid sexual misconduct allegations, The Detroit News reported.

Jones, who is also the president of the Detroit City Council, won a special election to serve out the remainder of Conyers’ term, but lost her bid for a full, two year-term to Rep.-elect Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

Tlaib will officially take office in January as part of a new Democratic House majority.

The Detroit News reported that Jones has maintained her spot on the Detroit City Council while she serves in the lame duck session of Congress. The House created an exception for Jones to a long-standing precedent requiring members to give up state offices to serve in Congress, the news outlet reported.