Minnesota Lawyer
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk's DFL Caucus combined paired experienced legislators with new ones in its committee appointments. (Staff photo: Peter Bartz-Gallagher)
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
