DFL Senate majority announces committee appointments

With just over a month left before opening day in the 2013 session of the Legislature, the DFL Senate Caucus has announced its committee lineups. While seniority ruled in the majority’s selections for committee chairs, a number of newly elected senators will serve as committee vice-chairs, including a handful of winners in hotly contested swing races.

Among the notable vice-chairmanships announced, Sen.-elect Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, will serve as vice-chair to Sen. Richard Cohen on the Senate Finance Committee. Champion, who ran successfully to replace retiring DFLer Linda Higgins, had previously served on the Ways and Means Commitee during his two terms in the House.

Capitol newcomer Sen.-elect Vicki Jensen, DFL-Owatonna, was named as vice-chair on the Senate Commerce Committee. In that role, Jensen, a former Owatonna School Board member and insurance agent, will serve under veteran lawmaker Sen. James Metzen, DFL-South St. Paul, who is now entering his ninth term in the Senate.

On the crucial issue of tax reform, Clearbrook Sen. Rod Skoe and New Hope Sen. Ann Rest are the obvious lawmakers to watch: Rest will be  Skoe’s vice-chair on the Senate Tax Committee chair, while Skoe was appointed as a member of Rest’s Senate Tax Reform Committee. Minneapolis Sen. Kari Dziedzic, Clara City Sen. Lyle Koenen and Brooklyn Center Sen. Chris Eaton, were also named as members of both committees.

Below is a list of the full committee rosters, as announced by the DFL on Friday morning. The Senate Republican Caucus has yet to make its minority committee appointments.

Capital Investment (20 members)

Chair: LeRoy Stumpf

Vice Chair:  Bev Scalze

Bobby Joe Champion

Richard Cohen

Kent Eken

Jeff Hayden

James Metzen

Sandra Pappas

Matt Schmit

Katie Sieben

Dan Sparks

David Tomassoni

Commerce (13 members)

Chair:  James Metzen

Vice Chair: Vicki Jensen

Jim Carlson

Kevin Dahle

Barbara Goodwin

Ron Latz

Sandra Pappas

Roger Reinert

E-12 Division  (18 members)

Chair: Charles Wiger

Vice Chair: Alice Johnson

Terri Bonoff

Kevin Dahle

Melissa Halvorson Wiklund                                

John Hoffman

Vicki Jensen

Susan Kent

Tom Saxhaug                                  

Leroy Stumpf                                   

Patrica Torres Ray  

Education (15 members)

Chair: Patricia Torres Ray

Vice Chair: Kevin Dahle

Jim Carlson

Greg Clausen

Melisa Franzen

Melissa Halvorson Wiklund

Alice Johnson

Susan Kent

Charles Wiger

Elections Subcommittee (9 members)

Chair:  Katie Sieben

Vice Chair:  Kent Eken

Richard Cohen

Jeff Hayden

John Hoffman

Ann Rest

Environment and Energy (14 members)

Chair: John Marty

Vice Chair: John Hoffman

Scott Dibble

Chris Eaton

Foung Hawj

Lyle Koenen

Bev Scalze

Matt Schmit

Katie Sieben

Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Division (14 members)

Chair: David Tomassoni

Vice Chair: Foung Hawj

Scott Dibble

Kari Dziedzic

Tom Saxhaug

Bev Scalze

Matt Schmit

Rod Skoe

Dan Sparks

Finance (22 members)

Chair:  Richard Cohen

Vice Chair:  Bobby Joe Champion

Terri Bonoff

Scott Dibble

Barbara Goodwin

Ron Latz

Tony Lourey

Sandra Pappas

Tom Saxhaug

Katie Sieben

LeRoy Stumpf

David Tomassoni

Charles Wiger

Health and Human Services Division (11 members)

Chair:  Tony Lourey

Vice Chair: Melisa Franzen

Jim Carlson

Greg Clausen

Kent Eken

Jeff Hayden

Kathy Sheran

Health, Human Services and Housing (11 members)

Chair: Kathy Sheran

Vice Chair: Melissa Halvorson Wiklund

Chris Eaton

Jeff Hayden

John Hoffman

Tony Lourey

John Marty

Higher Education and Workforce Development Division (13 members)

Chair:  Teri Bonoff

Vice Chair: Greg Clausen

Kent Eken

Susan Kent

Tony Lourey

Kathy Sheran

Dan Sparks

Patricia Torres Ray

Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development (10 members)

Chair:  Dan Sparks

Vice Chair: Matt Schmit

Terri Bonoff

Kent Eken

Foung Hawj

Lyle Koenen

Judiciary (8 members)

Chair: Ron Latz

Vice Chair: Barbara Goodwin

Richard Cohen

Kari Dziedzic

Kathy Sheran

Rules and Administration (13 members)

Chair: Tom Bakk

Vice Chair: Katie Sieben

Richard Cohen

John Marty

James Metzen

Sandra Pappas

Rod Skoe

Leroy Stumpf

State and Local Government (13  Members)

Chair: Sandra Pappas

Vice Chair: Chris Eaton

Kevin Dahle

Barbara Goodwin

Jeff Hayden

Alice Johnson

Bev Scalze

Patricia Torres Ray

State Departments and Veterans Division (11 members)

Chair: Tom Saxhaug

Vice Chair:  Kari Dziedzic

Bobby Joe Champion

Richard Cohen

 James Metzen

Ann Rest

 LeRoy Stumpf

Tax Reform Division (8 members)

Chair: Ann Rest

Vice Chair: Lyle Koenen

Kari Dziedzic

Chris A. Eaton

Rod Skoe

Taxes (13 members)

Chair:        Rod Skoe

Vice Chair: Ann Rest

Tom Bakk

Kari Dziedzic

Chris Eaton

Lyle Koenen

John Marty

Roger Reinert

Transportation and Public Safety Division (17 members)

Chair:  Scott Dibble

Vice Chair:  Susan Kent

Jim Carlson

Bobby Joe Champion

Melisa Franzen

Vicki Jensen

Roger Reinert

Ann Rest

David Tomassoni

Charles Wiger