Washblog

Democratic committee assignments (Sommers is diluted)

The House and the Senate Democratic caucuses announced their committee assignments earlier tonight.

Here are some interesting notes:

  • Tim Sheldon lost all of his committee assignments, except for Transportation where he is only a member. Sheldon was that Democrat we were all worried about last year because he would sometimes vote with Republicans. Now that things aren't so close, and we all remember 2004, playing nice isn't so important.
  • On the House side the Appropriations committee was split up into a subcommittee on education (chaired by Kathy Haigh) and one on government and audits (chaired by Kelli Linville). This apparently takes power away from the Appropriations chair Helen Somers. But, I'm not an expert. See below.
  • Also on the House side, Dave Upthegrove is the chair of the newly formed Select Committee on Puget Sound.

Update [2006-12-5 10:36:44 by emmettoconnell]:: Apparently I should pay better attention. It looks like what Josh Feit would say might happen did happen (hat tip Whacky Nation):

State House Speaker, Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43), is trying to dilute the power of his powerful Democratic colleague, longtime Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Helen Sommers (D-36). The two have sparred over transportation issues in the past and there’s probably some bad blood over Chopp’s indifference when Sommers faced an intraparty challenge from progressive candidate Alice Woldt (a friend of Chopp’s) in 2004.

As Dem working groups continued to meet and organize this week in the run-up to January when they will have a commanding 62-36 advantage in the state House, Chopp pushed the idea of creating three subcommittees for Appropriations that will make recommendations on business before Sommers’ committee. Sommers told me she’s okay with one of the committees (an education subcommittee) because that’s a sprawling issue.

However, Chopp also wants to create a General Government subcommittee and a Human Services Committee that observers say would put too many cooks in the kitchen—watering down Sommers’s famous hold on state spending.

The new subcommittees would also put Speaker Chopp—who’s in a position to orchestrate the appointments—in control of more goodies to dole out, thus making more members indebted to him.

< Senate Republicans: Everyone gets a leadership position! | In Snohomish County Less could be More >
Display: Sort:
Senate transportation is a safe place for Tim who no doubt will be looking for a chance to stir things up as a minority of one. He will not get far in a committee with a strong and experienced chair and two capable democratic vice chairs.
Still, this will be the committee to watch as the viaduct issue plays out.

by Particle Man on Mon Dec 04, 2006 at 11:23:27 PM PST

* 1 none 0 *


Chopp allows the fair-share healthcare bill onto the floor this session.

by Brian on Wed Dec 06, 2006 at 12:43:31 AM PST

* 2 none 0 *


Display: Sort:

 

 


RE-ELECT
ALEC FISKEN

Seattle Port Commission

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.rentonfacts.com
RENTON FACTS

 

 

FISKEN'S PORT WATCH
Environmental Issues

 

 

 

REAL CHANGE
HOMELESS EMPOWERMENT PROJECT

 

PIRATE TELEVISION
Challenging the Corporate Media Blockade


Watch Live or Archived Shows:
Seattle SCAN
South End PSA

 

PNW TOPIC HOTLIST

Login

Make a new account

Username:
Password:

Recommended Diaries

Washblog RSS Feeds

Political Contacts

Local Media

Coastal/Grays Harbor
Aberdeen Daily World
Chinook Observer
Montesano Vidette
Pacific County Press
Willapa Harbor Herald
KXRO 1320 AM

Olympic Peninsula
Peninsula Daily News
Bremerton Sun
Bremerton Chronicle
Gig Harbor Gateway
Port Orchard Independent
Port Townsend Leader
North Kitsap Herald
Squim Gazette
Central Kitsap Reporter
Business Examiner
KONP 1450 AM

Sound and Islands
Anacortes American
Bainbridge Review
Voice Of Bainbridge
San Juan Journal
The Islands' Sounder
Whidbey NewsTimes
South Whidbey Record
Stanwood/Camano News
Vashon Beachcomber
Voice Of Vashon
KLKI 1340 AM

North Puget Sound
Bellingham Herald
The Northern Light
Everett Herald
Skagit Valley Herald
Lynden Tribune
The Enterprise
Snohomish County Tribune
Snohomish County Business Journal
The Monroe Monitor
The Edmonds Beacon
KGMI 790 AM
KELA 1470 AM
KRKO 1380 AM

Central Puget Sound
King County Journal
Issaquah Press
Mukilteo Beacon
Voice of the Valley
Federal Way Mirror
Bothell/Kenmore Reporter
Kirkland courier
Mercer Island Reporter
Woodinville Weekly

Greater Seattle
Seattle PI
Seattle Times
KOMO TV 4
KIRO TV 7
KING 5 TV
KTBW TV 22
KCTS 9
UW Daily
The Stranger
Seattle Weekly
Capitol Hill Times
Madison Park Times
Seattle Journal of Commerce
NW Asian Weekly
West Seattle Herald
North Seattle Herald-Outlook
South Seattle Star
Magnolia News
Beacon Hill News
KIRO 710 AM
KOMO AM 1000
KEXP 90.3 FM
KUOW 94.9 FM
KVI 570 AM

South Puget Sound
The Columbian
Longview Daily News
Nisqually Valley News
Lewis County News
The Reflector
Eatonville Dispatch
Tacoma News Tribune
Tacoma Weekly
Puyallup Herald
Enumclaw Courier-Herald
The Olympian
KAOS 89.3 FM
KCPQ 13
KOWA FM 106.5
UPN 11

Cascade/Okanogan
Ellensburg Daily Record
Levenworth Echo
Cle Elum Tribune
Snoqualmie Valley Record
Methow Valley News
Lake Chelan Mirror
Omak chronicle
The Newport Miner

Spokane/Palouse
The Spokesman-Review
KREM 2 TV Spokane
KXLY News 4 Spokane
KHQ 6 Spokane
KSPS Spokane
Statesman-Examiner
Othello Outlook
Cheney Free Press
Camas PostRecord
The South County sun
White Salmon Enterprise
Palouse Boomerang
Columbia Basin Herald
Grand Coulee Star
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Yakima Herald-Republic
KIMA 29 Yakima
KAPP TV 35 Yakima
KYVE Yakima
Wenatchee World
Tri-City Herald
TVEW TV 42 Tri-cities
KTNW Richland
KEPR 19 Pasco
Daily Sun News
Prosser Record-Bulletin
KTCR 1340 AM
KWSU Pullman
Moscow-Pullman Daily News

 

 

WA INITIATIVES & REFERENDA
WA BILLS, LAWS & LEGISLATORS
NATIONAL BILLS, LAWS & LEGISLATORS
STATE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
FEDERAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?
Democracy for Washington tool to email legislators by committee
WA House
WA Senate

 


Photo courtesy of photographer/thankyoult.org
THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT WATADA

 


WA PEACE LINKS

 


ABUSE OF POWER
Inspired by Rob McKenna's Fake Attorney General Letterhead
GIF of Letter

 

 

 


NW PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
Medicine Takeback Program
Return unwanted and expired medications for free and safe disposal.