I am grateful to Basil Tilmon of GalleryWatch, Inc. in Washington, D.C. for sending me the following information compiled by Sara Ditta and the CongressNow Staff and am posting it here with his permission.
David Badertscher
Freshman House Members’ Committee Preferences By: Sara Ditta CongressNow Staff Dec 22, 2008 12:00 PM
As they prepare to begin their Congressional careers, newly elected freshman lawmakers have a wide variety of interests. Here is a rundown of the committees they would like to serve on. Not surprisingly, their preferences largely coincide with personal experiences or with issues of high importance to their district.
• Rep.-elect Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) has expressed interest in Armed Services, Appropriations and Agriculture committees.
• Rep.-elect Parker Griffith (D-Ala.) is interested in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Griffith is also interested in the Science and Technology Committee.
• Rep.-elect Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) has expressed an interest in serving on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
• Rep.-elect Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.) hopes to obtain a seat on the Armed Services Committee, whose ranking member was his namesake father until his retirement at the end of the 110th Congress. Hunter is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and intends to bring insight to national security issues.
• Rep.-elect Jared Polis (D-Colo.) has not cited any specific interests for committee assignments.
• Rep.-elect Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) is interested in the Agriculture Committee because her district has a lot of agricultural land. Markey is also interested in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Appropriations Committee and, amid the current economic crisis, the Financial Services Committee.
• Rep.-elect Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) has not cited any specific interests for committee assignments.
• Rep.-elect Jim Himes (D-Conn.) is interested in serving on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
• Rep.-elect Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) did not wish to voice any interests before the committee seats are assigned.
• Rep.-elect Bill Posey (R-Fla.) said he wants to serve where the party deems best, but he did express a specific interest in the Financial Services Committee because of his background chairing the state Senate’s Banking and Insurance Committee. Posey is also interested in the Armed Services Committee.
• Rep.-elect Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) has not cited any specific interests for committee assignments.
• Rep.-elect Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.) has not cited any specific interests for committee assignments.
• Rep.-elect Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) is primarily interested in the Agriculture Committee. Minnick is also interested in the Financial Services and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
• Rep.-elect Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) would like to serve on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Agriculture Committee.
• Rep.-elect Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) has not cited any specific interests for committee assignments.
• Rep.-elect Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) is seeking a seat on the Financial Services Committee because of her accounting background and her seat on the state Senate’s Commerce Committee. Jenkins is also interested in the Agriculture and Armed Services committees.
• Rep.-elect Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) wants a seat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, following a stint chairing the state Senate Transportation Committee. Guthrie is also interested in the Armed Services and Financial Services committees.
• Rep.-elect Anh Cao (R-La.) is still narrowing down his choices and has not expressed a preference yet.
• Rep-elect Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has expressed an interest in the Energy and Commerce and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
• Rep.-elect John Fleming (R-La.) is interested in the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Armed Services committees.
• Rep.-elect Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is seeking a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, as she feels Maine is in a position to play a key role in developing clean energy through wind power and other related initiatives. Pingree is also interested in the Agriculture, Armed Services and Natural Resources committees.
• Rep.-elect Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) is seeking a seat on the Agriculture Committee and the Judiciary Committee.
• Rep.-elect Mark Schauer (D-Mich.) is interested in the Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure and Agriculture committees.
• Rep.-elect Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has not cited any specific interests for committee assignments.
• Rep.-elect Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) is primarily interested in a seat on the Ways and Means Committee because he served on the same committee in the state House and worked to cut taxes in Minnesota. Paulsen is also interested in the Financial Services Committee.
• Rep.-elect Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) was elected freshmen representative on the House Republican Steering Committee. Harper says he will wait until he has dealt with his colleagues’ preferences before he makes his own choices.
• Rep.-elect Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) is seeking a seat on the Financial Services Committee because of his background as a bank regulator. Luetkemeyer is also interested in the Agriculture Committee.
• Rep.-elect Dina Titus (D-Nev.) is interested in the Education and Labor Committee, given her background as a professor. Titus is also interested in the Veterans’ Affairs and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
• Rep.-elect John Adler (D-N.J.) has expressed an interest in serving on the Armed Services and Financial Services committees.
• Rep.-elect Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) has not expressed an interest in any specific committees yet, but he has a background in working on budget issues.
• Rep.-elect Martin Heinrich (D-N.M) has not expressed an interest in any specific committees yet.
• Rep.-elect Harry Teague (D-N.M) is interested in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, given his background in the oil and gas industry. Teague is also interested in the Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
• Rep.-elect Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M) is interested in the Natural Resources and Homeland Security committees.
• Rep.-elect Michael McMahon (D-N.Y) is interested in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
• Rep.-elect Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) is seeking a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee with his background as an engineer and experience as chairman of the Energy Committee in the state Assembly. Tonko is also interested in the Education and Labor and the Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
• Rep.-elect Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.) has not expressed an interest in any specific committee yet.
• Rep.-elect Chris Lee (R-N.Y.) would like to serve on the Energy and Commerce, Financial Services and Small Business committees.
• Rep.-elect Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) is interested in the Armed Services Committee, given his experience as a former staffer on the committee. Massa would also like a seat on the Agriculture Committee.
• Rep.-elect Larry Kissell (D-N.C.) has not yet expressed a preference for any specific committees.
• Rep.-elect Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) has not yet expressed a preference for any specific committees.
• Rep.-elect Steve Austria (R-Ohio) has not yet expressed a preference for any specific committees but is a former chairman of the Highways and Transportation and Judiciary committees in the state Senate.
• Rep.-elect Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) would like to serve on the Financial Services, Energy and Commerce or Science and Technology committees.
• Rep.-elect Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) has not yet expressed an interest in any specific committees.
• Rep.-elect John Boccieri (D-Ohio) has not yet expressed a preference for any specific committees.
• Rep.-elect Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) is interested in the Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture and Natural Resources committees.
• Rep.-elect Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) has not yet expressed a preference for any specific committees.
• Rep.-elect Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) would like a seat on the Ways and Means Committee. Thompson is also interested in the Natural Resources and Education and Labor committees.
• Rep.-elect Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) is interested in serving on the Energy and Commerce Committee because of his background in health care as a physician. Roe is also interested in the Veterans’ Affairs, Agriculture and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
• Rep.-elect Pete Olson (R-Texas) wants to serve on the Science and Technology Committee because of NASA’s presence in the district. Olson is also interested in the Armed Services and Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
• Rep.-elect Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is interested in seats on the Ways and Means or Appropriations committees.
• Rep.-elect Glenn Nye (D-Va.) is primarily interested in serving on the Armed Services Committee, as the industry is of great importance to the district and the economy is heavily based on military institutions within.
• Rep.-elect Tom Perriello (D-Va.) is interested in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Perriello is also interested in the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs and Foreign Affairs committees.
• Rep.-elect Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) would like to gain a seat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Connolly is also interested in the Foreign Affairs and Oversight and Government Reform committees.
• Rep.-elect Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) has not expressed a preference for any specific committees yet.