There was were a couple of firsts and a third this week for Congressman Tim Walz, who made his initial speech on the House floor, had his first mini-debate with a Republican presidential candidate and received a third committee assignment — one more than most members will get.

Walz’ first speech came Wednesday on behalf of legislation to slash interest rates on loans to college students. The lower interest rates will be crucial for students struggling to keep up with skyrocketing tuition increases, Walz told his colleagues.

“In fact, at Minnesota State University in Mankato in my district, 5,941 students took out subsidized student loans during the 2004-05 academic year,” Walz said. “After we cut the interest rate in half with this bill, the average MSU student would save $3,990 over the life of his or her loan.”

The bill, which passed 356-71, isn’t expected to be voted on directly by the Senate and is opposed by the Bush administration, according to the Associated Press.

On Thursday, Walz also announced that he’d been granted a seat on the Veterans Affairs Committee after receiving a waiver from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi exempting him from the House rule allowing members to serve on no more than two committees. Walz was previously appointed to the Agriculture and Transportation committees.

The three committees mesh with many of the issues emphasized by Walz in the fall campaign. A Mankato Democrat who served 24 years in the Army National Guard, Walz focused on the need for renewable fuels and better roads while opposing the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad’s $2.3 billion loan application with the federal Transportation Department.

He called for better treatment of America’s soldiers and was critical of the war in Iraq.

A Mankato West High School teacher, Walz also talked about education issues. But spokeswoman Meredith Salsbery said an announcement about a fourth committee assignment to the House Education Committee won’t be forthcoming.

“This is it,” Salsbery said. “I don’t know if there’s enough staff to handle more than three.”

As for the short debate, it occurred Wednesday night on MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews.” A retired command sergeant major, Walz has become a popular choice for interviews with national media about the war in Iraq.

On Wednesday night, he faced off with Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., about the wisdom of boosting the number of troops serving in Iraq. Hunter is the former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and is exploring a run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

A transcript of their exchange is available on the MSNBC Web site.