Minnesota Lawyer
Steve Smith
Judicial and energy issues in the state House have been moved around.
The Judiciary Policy and Finance Committee will no longer be a stand-alone committee and Rep. Steve Smith, R-Mound, will no longer be a chairman, according to House Speaker Kurt Zellers. Judiciary, of which Smith became chairman after the Republicans won control of the House in the 2010 elections, will now become a division of the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee. Rep. Ron Shimanski, R-Silver Lake, will move from vice chairman to chairman of the division.
Smith, a moderate who has at times bucked the GOP caucus, is stepping down for “personal reasons,” Zellers said in an e-mail to staff. An attempt to contact Smith late Friday afternoon was unsuccessful.
Zellers also announced a new energy subcommittee and appointed Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, as chairman. The subcommittee will be added to the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The members of the committee include GOP Reps. Paul Torkelson, Duane Quam, Michael Beard, Dennis McNamara and DFL Reps. Kate Knuth, Andrew Falk and Bill Hilty.
Hackbarth had originally been given the chairmanship of the environment committee after the election. But a turn events involving Hackbarth being investigated by St. Paul police for carrying a loaded gun in a holster in the parking lot of Planned Parenthood resulted in his resignation as chairman. Charges were not filed against him.
