December 1, 2006
Issue #46-2006
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INSTITUTE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES ITS 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
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The November 7 congressional elections were a major victory for Demo-
crats, who secured majorities in both the House of Representatives and
Senate. Democrats will begin the first session of the 110th Congress in
January under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi (Calif.-8), the first woman and
the first Californian to serve as Speaker of the House. For more, see Page 5.
FEDERAL UPDATE: ELECTION 2006 OVERVIEW
The League of California Cities set the course of the organization for the
coming year, when it met with the leaders of the League’s departments,
divisions, policy committees and caucuses at the board of directors meeting
on November 17-18 in Anaheim. For more, see Page 4.
LEAGUE BOARD ADOPTS STRATEGIC GOALS FOR 2007
Next week, the State Capitol next week will be abuzz with the convening of
the 2007-2008 Legislature. Swearing-in ceremonies for all members are
scheduled for Monday, December 4. It’s a time of hope and promise, fellow-
ship and congratulations. Many members will bring their families to witness
the swearing-in ceremonies, as the Capitol takes on a festive atmosphere that
is generally free of the partisanship and intensity that can grip the building later
on in the session. For more, see Page 3.
NEW LEGISLATURE CONVENES DECEMBER 4Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org PAGE 2 - PRIORITY FOCUS
December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
The Institute for Local Government (ILG),
founded in 1955 as the League of California Cities’
nonprofit research arm, has published its 2006
Annual Report. The report contains an overview of
ILG’s accomplishments during the past year.
ILG currently has four active program areas -
public service ethics, civic engagement, land use
and housing and fiscal stewardship. The following
details ILG’s 2006 activities:
New Publications.
• Getting the Most Out of Public Hearings
(www.ca-ilg.org/publichearings);
• An Ounce of Prevention: Best Practices for
Making Informed Land Use Decisions (www.ca-
ilg.org/ounce);
• Ensuring Continued Affordability in
Homeownership Programs (www.ca-ilg.org/
inclusionary);
• Success in Public Service: What to Know
Before You are Elected or Appointed (www.ca-
ilg.org/candidatepamphlet);
• Doing the Right Thing: Putting Ethics Prin-
ciples into Practice in Public Service (www.ca-
ilg.org/rightthing);
• Building a Healthy Fiscal Foundation
Through Revenue Diversification (www.ca-ilg.org/
revenuediversification).
ILG also updated its Regulatory Takings Primer
(www.ca-ilg.org/takings). The ILG board of directors
formally expressed its appreciation to the League
and the California State Association of Counties
(CSAC) for those organizations’ leadership in defeat-
ing Proposition 90, which would have wiped out
more than six years of ILG’s work in the regulatory
takings area.
• AB 1234 Implementation. Helped local
officials understand and comply with new state
ethics requirements, frequently asked questions
(FAQs), regional and state training sessions, online
and self-study training opportunities, train-the-
trainers efforts and more. By the end of the year, ILG
estimates that it will have directly or indirectly helped
nearly 8,000 local officials comply with the require-
ments.
• Collaborating. Welcomed CSAC on board
as an ILG supporter.
• Land Use Program Re-Envisioning.
Engaged in a strategic planning effort to reflect on
the direction of ILG’s land use program. In 2007, the
program will continue to focus on housing issues
(including additions to the Housing Resource Center,
www.ca-ilg.org/hrc), but also explore the connec-
tions between land use and health, and climate
change issues for local officials.
• Annual Conference Symposium. Con-
nected local officials with cutting edge thinking and
research about “How to T alk about Government” in
collaboration with the Demos and Frameworks
Institute.
• League Conference Programs. Orga-
nized and delivered a number of sessions at League
conferences, including the New Mayors and Council
Members, the Planners Institute, Executive Forum,
Annual Conference and the Clerks New Law and
Election Seminar.
• Everyday Ethics Column. Appearing in
Western City magazine, the column analyzed such
issues as federal corruption laws, mass mailing
restrictions, promoting a culture of ethics, and fair
process requirements.
• Endowment Fund. Continued to grow ILG’s
endowment fund for long term financial security,
which accepts support in various forms, including
surplus campaign contributions, appreciated securi-
ties, charitable remainder trusts, bequests and
individual gifts.
ILG also invested in grant-seeking and other
fundraising activities to enable it to leverage League
and CSAC support on about a one-to-three ratio.
Major grants were secured from the James Irvine
Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, Commu-
INSTITUTE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUES ITS 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
Continued on Page 3PRIORITY FOCUS - PAGE 3 Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org
December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
nity T echnology Foundation, and others to carry ILG’s
work program forward in 2007 and beyond.
ILG is very grateful for the support that it has
received from local officials, foundations and private
firms. Numerous local officials have provided input to
ILG’s work programs. ILG was grateful for the
opportunity to keep officials abreast of its activities
through conferences, ILG’s quarterly Newswire e-
bulletin, a bi-monthly column in Western City maga-
zine and ILG’s website, www.ca-ilg.org.
ILG ANNUAL REPORT from page 2
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Although floor and committee sessions will not
occur until January, a number of legislators can be
expected to use the few days of session to intro-
duce their first bills.
New Legislators Have Strong Local
Government Roots
As noted in the November 17 issue of Priority
Focus, 17 of 34 new assemblymembers and nine
of 12 new senators will arrive at the State Capitol
with backgrounds as local elected officials. This
could be good news for cities – since these
members will come to the State Capitol with an
understanding and greater appreciation for the
challenges of local governance.
Editor’s Note: Portions of this list that
appeared in the November 17 edition of Priority
Focus contained incorrect listings. The below
information has been corrected.
California Assembly – Newly Elected Members
with Local Government Experience
• AD 4 Ted Gaines (R), Placer County
Supervisor
• AD 11 Mark DeSaulnier (D), Contra
Costa Supervisor
• AD 12 Fiona Ma (D), San Francisco
County Supervisor
• AD 24 Jim Beall (D), Santa Clara County
Supervisor
• AD 28 Anna Caballero (D), Salinas Mayor
• AD 38 Cameron Smyth (R), Santa Clarita
City Council Member
• AD 42 Mike Feuer (D), Los Angeles City
Council
• AD 44 Anthony Portantino (D), La Canada
Flintridge Mayor
• AD 49 Mike Eng (D), Monterey Park City
Council Member
• AD 51 Curren D. Price, Jr. (D), Inglewood
City Council Member
• AD 55 Laura Richardson (D), Long Beach
City Council Member
• AD 56 Tony Mendoza (D), Artesia City
Council Member
• AD 65 Paul Cook (R), Yucca Valley Mayor
• AD 67 Jim Silva (R), Orange County
Supervisor
• AD 69 Jose Solario (D), Santa Ana City
Council Member
• AD 72 Mike Duvall (R), Yorba Linda Mayor
• AD 79 Mary Salas (D), Chula Vista City
Council Member
California Senate – Newly Elected Senators
with Local Government Experience
• SD 2 Pat Wiggins (D), Santa Rosa City
Council Member
• SD 6 Darrell Steinberg (D), Sacramento
City Council Member
• SD 8 Leland Yee (D), San Francisco
Supervisor
• SD 10 Ellen Corbett (D), San Leandro
Mayor
• SD 14 Dave Cogdill (R), Modesto City
Council Member
• SD 20 Alex Padilla (D), Los Angeles City
Council Member; also Former Past
President, League of California Cities
• SD 26 Mark Ridley Thomas (D), Los
Angeles City Council Member
• SD 28 Jenny Oropeza (D), Long Beach
City Council Member
• SD 34 Lou Correa (D), Orange County
Supervisor
NEW LEG from page 1Visit the League’s Official Website--www.cacities.org PAGE 4 - PRIORITY FOCUS
December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
After participating with other League leaders in
eight separate discussion groups, the directors
considered a list of proposed strategic goals
formulated by the discussion groups. The follow-
ing goals were adopted and will be the focus of
work programs for the League and its divisions,
departments, caucuses and policy committees for
2007:
• Infrastructure: Ensure fair and effective
implementation of the 2006 infrastructure bonds,
consistent with the needs of California cities.
• Eminent Domain: Adopt statutory and
constitutional reforms of the laws governing the
use of eminent domain for private economic
development purposes.
• Affordable Housing: Expand the supply
of affordable housing by adopting reforms that
reduce the barriers to improved planning and
expand the financial resources available.
League Celebrates Defeat of Prop. 90
There was a celebratory tone to meetings with
leaders of League divisions, departments, policy
committees and caucuses, as they met with
members of the board of directors to assess the
lessons of the successful campaign to defeat
Proposition 90, the “Taxpayer Trap” initiative that
was on the November ballot.
With the strength of a broad and diverse
coalition and with nearly unanimous support by
editorial boards across the state, Prop. 90 was
defeated. Its passage would have paralyzed
government regulation and land use planning and
added untold millions in taxpayer expenses by
virtue of its ill-conceived and poorly drafted provi-
sions on governmental takings. Using funds
received from non-public sources, the League
played a central role in organizing the coalition and
leading the “No on 90” campaign.
The lesson learned from this campaign is that
the League must work with other groups during
2007 to secure balanced reform of eminent
domain as it is used for private economic devel-
opment purposes. The board and League leaders
established this as a strategic priority for 2007.
League Board Adopts 2007 Budget
The board of directors also adopted the
League budget for calendar year 2007. The
budget includes a 4.18 percent dues increase. It
will allow the League to maintain momentum and
direct the full measure of League resources to the
strategic priorities selected for 2007. Under the
guidance of the board and the board finance
committee, the League eliminated a projected
budget deficit in 2006 and approved a balanced
budget for 2007.
Other League News
• Coastal Cities Issue Group. To help the
League address coastal issues more effectively
and to improve cooperation with the Coastal
Commission, the board of directors voted to
create a coastal cities issue group. The League
president will appoint the chair of the issue group,
which will report to the board and work through
relevant policy committees on matters of League
policy.
• League Seeks Collaboration with
Indian Nations. There are 109 sovereign tribal
governments in California that face many of the
same challenges facing cities, and whose actions
often have profound effects on California cities.
The board of directors voted to establish a
League-Tribal Governments Collaboration Task
Force to recommend a mechanism for ongoing
dialogue and collaboration. The task force will
consist of League representatives appointed by
the president and representatives chosen by
interested major tribal government associations.
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
The newly elected Democratic leadership has
vowed to pursue the following agenda within the
first 100 hours of the 110th Congress (which
begins January 3, 2007):
• Increase the federal minimum wage
• Implement the 9/11 Commission’s
recommendations
• Cut the interest rate on student loans by
half
• Enable the federal government to negoti-
ate with drugs companies to lower prices
in the Medicare prescription drug program
• Pass new congressional ethics and
budget policies
• Allow stem cell research
• End tax breaks for oil companies
It is unclear whether the nine unfinished FY
2007 appropriations bills will be part of the 110th
Congress agenda. Congress must now decide
whether or not they will combine the remaining
bills into a multi-bill omnibus, or pass a long term
continuing resolution that would delay consider-
ation of the legislation until January 2007.
On Thursday, November 16, Congress
passed a continuing resolution (CR) that will
continue funding for all federal programs that were
not part of the FY 2007 Defense or Homeland
Security Appropriations bills until December 8.
Congress will have to decide which strategy to
pursue when they reconvene on December 4.
Republican conservatives, worried that a “budget-
busting” omnibus appropriations package will be
passed when the lame-duck session resumes
this month, are pushing to delay action on the
unfinished spending bills until next year.
Democrats, however, want to finish the FY
2007 appropriations bills when the 109th Con-
gress reconvenes the week of December 4, so
they can start with their own agenda next year.
House of Representatives
(The names of California representatives and
senators are indicated in bold.)
Heading into the election, the House was
comprised of 229 Republicans, 200 Democrats
and one Independent, with four vacant seats.
Republicans held a 28 seat advantage, and
Democrats needed to capture 15 seats to gain
control of the House, which has been led by a
Republican majority since 1995. The elections
resulted in a 29-seat gain for Democrats, with the
110th Congress comprised of 232 Democrats and
196 Republicans. Seven election contests still
remain undecided.
In total, 20 defending Republican incumbents
were defeated, whereas all defending Democratic
incumbents were re-elected. Nine seats belong-
ing to retiring Republicans also changed hands in
the election, and will be filled by incoming Demo-
crats in the 110th Congress.
House Leadership. The House majority
leadership team in the 110th Congress will include
current Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.-
8) serving as House Speaker, current Minority
Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.-5) serving as Majority
Leader, current Democratic Caucus Chairman
James Clyburn (S.C.-6) serving as Majority Whip,
and current Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rahm Emmanuel
(Ill.-5) serving as chairman of the House Demo-
cratic Caucus.
House Republicans met on November 17 and
chose John Boehner (Ohio-8) to serve as the
Minority Leader in the new session. Congress-
man Roy Blunt (Mo.-7) was selected to serve as
the party’s Minority Whip, and Rep. Adam Putnam
(Fla.-12) will chair the Republican Conference.
Finally, Republicans selected Congressman
Tom Cole (Okla.-4) to serve as the new chairman
of the National Republican Congressional Com-
mittee (NRCC). Current House Speaker Dennis
Hastert (Ill.-14) and Republican Conference
Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (Ohio-15) opted
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
against seeking any leadership positions in the
new Congress.
House Committees. With Democrats back
in control of the House after 12 years in the
minority, committee leadership and the corre-
sponding agendas of incoming Democratic
committee chairs will likely mean a change in
priorities for most House committees. Final
reorganization of House committee membership
will be decided between now and January 2007,
when Congress reconvenes for its 110th session.
Agriculture. Current Ranking Member Collin
Peterson (Minn.-7) is the most likely candidate to
lead the Agriculture Committee through next
year’s expected rewrite of the Farm Security and
Rural Investment Act of 2002. In addition to
revamping Federal commodity programs, rural
development programs will also be under review
in the reauthorization of the bill.
Federal rural development programs have
been limited by funding constraints and limited
eligibility requirements in recent years, however a
coalition of rural municipal stakeholders, including
the National Association of Towns and Townships,
will be pressing to expand opportunities in rural
development programs in the reauthorization of
the measure.
Congressman Tim Holden (Penn.-17) is
expected to oversee this portion of the bill as the
incoming chair of the Conservation, Credit, Rural
Development and Research Subcommittee. In
addition, Congressman Joe Baca (Calif.-43) is
expected to assume the chairmanship of the
Department Operations, Oversight, Dairy, Nutri-
tion and Forestry Subcommittee.
Appropriations. Current Ranking Member
David Obey (Wis.-7) will likely regain the chair-
manship of the Appropriations Committee, where
he is expected to seek increased funding for
domestic discretionary Federal spending pro-
grams. Rep. Obey is the current ranking Demo-
crat on the committee’s Labor-Health and Human
Services-Education and Related Agencies Sub-
committee, though he may have to relinquish his
seat on the Subcommittee when he assumes the
full committee chairmanship.
In his 12 years as the committee’s ranking
Democrat, Rep. Obey has consistently advocated
for increases in funding for education, medical
research, community development, veterans’
medical care and border security. However, the
Wisconsin Democrat will likely run into several
obstacles in his attempt to increase funding for
Democratic priorities. In recent years, his propos-
als to boost such spending have been paired with
tax increases; proposals that remain non-starters
for the 196 House Republicans and the president.
Rep. Obey will likely oversee a plan by the
Democratic leadership to reform the chamber’s
earmarking process. Obey supported a Demo-
cratic proposal to require that Members declare if
they stand to benefit personally from any earmarks
they are seeking, which is part of a broad lobbying
package that Democrats vowed to gain passage of
if they won the majority.
Most of the ranking Democratic subcommittee
chairmen are expected to become chairmen of
their respective subcommittees in the 110th
Congress. However, Martin Olav Sabo (Minn.-5),
ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security
Subcommittee, is retiring. A top candidate to
replace Sabo is David Price (N.C.-4), who ranks
just below Rep. Sabo on the panel.
Transitioning from ranking member to subcom-
mittee chair on the remaining panels will likely be
Rosa DeLauro (Conn.-3) to Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and
Related Agencies; John Murtha (Penn.-12) to
Defense; Peter Visclosky (Ind.-1) to Energy and
Water Development, and Related Agencies; Nita
Lowey (N.Y.-18) or Jesse Jackson, Jr. (lll.-2) to
Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related
Programs; Norman Dicks (Wash.-6) to Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies; Nita Lowey
(N.Y.-18) or Rosa DeLauro (Conn.-3) to Labor,
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
Health and Human Services, Education and
Related Agencies; Chet Edwards (Texas-17) to
Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies; Alan Mollohan (W.Va.-1) to
Science, State, Justice, and Commerce, and
Related Agencies; and John Olver (Mass.-1) to
Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban
Development, the Judiciary, and District of Colum-
bia.
Republican leadership on the committee is
expected to follow a similar path, with current full
committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (Calif.-41)
becoming ranking member, and all current sub-
committee chairmen becoming ranking members
of the subcommittees which they presently chair
in January.
Armed Services. Oversight hearings into the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be a top priority of
incoming House Armed Services Committee
Chairman Ike Skelton (Mo.-4). Congressman
Skelton currently serves as ranking member on
the committee and has expressed an interest in
establishing a new subcommittee devoted to
oversight and investigations of both military cam-
paigns.
Other committee priorities include increasing
Army spending and improving pay and benefits for
military personnel. Democrats are expected to
follow seniority rules in determining subcommittee
chairmanships. Republicans will likely follow suit,
with current full committee Chairman Duncan
Hunter (Calif.-52) taking the ranking member
position, and current Republican subcommittee
chairmen filling the ranking member posts on the
subcommittees which they currently chair.
Budget. The Budget Committee will have
some of the most important changes in the 110th
Congress with the Democratic takeover, because
of its role in setting the overall discretionary spend-
ing targets for the coming fiscal year. The com-
mittee is expected to be chaired by current ranking
member John Spratt (S.C.-5), who has repeatedly
urged a budget summit between both parties and
President Bush to discuss ways to slow the rising
federal debt. Congressman Spratt has also urged
a combination of spending restraints and a roll-
back of the President’s tax cuts.
Democratic leadership have proposed rule
changes that the panel will likely consider as part
of a budget overhaul package, including a return to
pay-as-you-go rules requiring tax cuts and new
spending to be offset so they do not add to the
deficit. With the defeat of Republican Jim Ryan
(Kan.-2) and retirement of current chairman Jim
Nussle, Ander Crenshaw (Fla.-4) is expected to
become the Committee’s ranking member.
Education and the Workforce. With current
committee Ranking Member George Miller
(Calif.-7) expected to take over as chairman,
Democrats should be able to move some of their
top legislative priorities through the panel next
session. The committee is expected to begin
consideration of the reauthorization of the 2001
education law known as No Child Left Behind
(NCLB), where Rep. Miller is likely to focus on the
need to increase funding to better enable schools
to comply with the law.
Congressman Miller helped write the 2001 law
and supports the majority of its provisions, but
Democrats have consistently advocated for
increased annual appropriations for the law’s
provisions. While the law authorizes expenditures
of $20 billion annually, the average annual appro-
priation has been closer to $12 billion. Incoming
chairman Miller is also expected to renew Demo-
cratic efforts to increase the federal minimum
wage to $7.25 per hour over two years and to
reduce student interest loan rates.
The following Democrats are expected to
advance to the corresponding subcommittee
chairmanships in the 110th Congress—Dale
Kildee (Mich.-5) to 21st Century Competitiveness;
Lynn Woolsey (Calif.-6) to Education Reform;
Robert Andrews (N.J.-1) to Employer-Employee
Relations; Ruben Hinojosa (Texas-15) to Select
Education; and Dennis Kucinich (Ohio-10) to
Workforce Protection.
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
Congressman Miller has a good working
relationship with the committee’s current chair-
man, Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (Calif.-25),
who is expected to remain the top-ranking Repub-
lican on the panel. All current Republican sub-
committee chairs are expected to become ranking
members of their subcommittees next session.
Energy and Commerce. Having chaired the
committee from 1981 until Republicans took
control in 1994, current ranking member John
Dingell (Mich.-15) will return to his post next year
with the aim of addressing a broad series of
issues ranging from climate and national energy
policy to health and telecommunications issues.
Rep. Dingell has also indicated that he will
consider health insurance initiatives for single
parents and plans on working to lower insurance
premiums for small businesses, as well as revive
efforts to develop a patients’ bill of rights and
pursue legislation authorizing the Health and
Human Services Department to negotiate for
lower prescription drug prices. Regarding the
rewrite of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Rep.
Dingell has pledged to fix flaws in the House-
passed Communications Opportunity, Promotion,
and Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006.
While Rep. Dingell has not expanded on
perceived flaws, he was supportive of establishing
build-out provisions in a rewrite of Federal tele-
communications law when the committee consid-
ered the COPE Act earlier this year, though the
House-passed bill did not ultimately contain such
provisions. He may also seek to address issues
such as the Universal Service Fund (USF) and net
neutrality, which were not included in the COPE
Act.
The following committee Democrats are
expected to assume the corresponding subcom-
mittee chairmanships in the 110th Congress—
Janice Schakowsky (Ill.-9) to Commerce, Trade
and Consumer Protection; Rick Boucher (Va.-9) to
Energy and Air Quality; Hilda Solis (Calif.-32) to
Environment and Hazardous Materials; Henry
Waxman (Calif.-30) to Health; Bart Stupak (MI-1)
to Oversight and Investigations; and Edward
Markey (Mass.-7) to Telecommunications and the
Internet.
All current Republican committee chairmen
are expected to become ranking members of their
respective subcommittees in the new session.
Financial Services. Current Ranking Mem-
ber Barney Frank (Mass.-4) is expected to take
over the chairmanship of the Financial Services
Committee in the 110th Congress, where he will
likely focus on expanding Federal housing pro-
grams. Rep. Frank is also expected to move
legislation to crackdown on predatory lending that
the panel has been working on for more than a
year. Republican Richard Baker (La.-5) is ex-
pected to become the Committee’s ranking
member.
Of all of the ranking Democrats on the Finan-
cial Services subcommittees who are in line to
become subcommittee chairs, the most signifi-
cant is that of Congresswoman Maxine Waters
(Calif.-35), who will take over the Housing and
Community Opportunity Subcommittee next
session. Serving as committee chair, Congress-
woman Waters is expected to continue to advo-
cate for expansion of safe, affordable housing for
low income families and individuals.
Government Reform. Current committee
Ranking Member Henry Waxman (Calif.-30) is
expected to serve as the committee’s chairman in
the 110th Congress, where he will likely seek to
launch further investigations Iraq contracting, the
recovery from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Vice
President Chaney’s energy task force, and any
election irregularities at the polls in the recent
election. The committee’s current chairman,
Congressman Thomas Davis (Va.-11) is expected
to hold onto the top Republican seat and serve as
the committee’s ranking member.
Homeland Security. Incoming Homeland
Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
(Miss.-2) aims to make rail and mass transit
security major priorities for the Homeland Security
Committee next session. While the port security
bill enacted in October (PL 109-347) did not
contain rail and mass transit security funding
authorizations, the Senate-passed version of the
bill included about $4.5 billion for that purpose.
Rep. Thompson is expected to develop stand-
alone legislation to address these issues.
The committee could gain increased authority
on homeland security and anti-terrorism issues if
incoming Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi is
successful in implementing the 9/11
Commission’s recommendations. Of note con-
cerning changes to the current subcommittee
chair roster, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez
(Calif.-47) is expected to chair the Economic
Security, Infrastructure Protection and
Cybersecurity Subcommittee.
Also, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.-16) is likely to
chair the Intelligence, Information Sharing, and
Terrorism Risk Assessment Subcommittee.
Current committee Chairman Peter King (N.Y.-3)
is expected to become the committee’s ranking
member when Congress reconvenes for the new
session in January 2007.
Intelligence. On December 1, incoming
Speaker Pelosi announced that she had ap-
pointed Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas to
chair this committee. The announcement followed
several weeks of speculation as to whether she
would bypass ranking Intelligence Committee
member Jane Harman (Calif.-D 36), to appoint
Congressman Alcee Hastings (Fla.-D 23) to the
chairmanship.
In announcing the appointment, Pelosi refer-
enced Reyes past experience as a Vietnam War
veteran, a senior law enforcement officer in Texas,
and his membership of the House Select Intelli-
gence, Armed Services, and Veterans’ Affairs
Committees.
She also praised Harman’s past service as
ranking committee member, as well as the foreign
affairs expertise that Hastings had brought to the
committee. “All of the Democrats who serve on
the Intelligence Committee in the 109th Congress
will continue to be great resources on national
security matters to the Democratic Caucus, the
Congress, and the country.”
Judiciary. Current Ranking Member John
Conyers (Mich.-14) is expected to serve as
chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the 110th
Congress. Rep. Conyers is expected to empha-
size an agenda of oversight of the Administration’s
exercises of executive power, particularly the
National Security Agency’s warrantless surveil-
lance program. Democrats may also revisit a law
(PL 109-366) governing the interrogation and trial
of terrorist detainees.
In a distinct departure from the committee’s
current work, Rep. Conyers is also likely to re-
move from the agenda amendments to ban gay
marriage and flag burning and reduce or eliminate
bills that aim to impose mandatory minimum
prison sentences. Current committee Chairman
James Sensenbrenner (Wis.-5) is expected to
become the committee’s ranking member. In a
noteworthy change to subcommittee leadership,
Rep. Howard Berman (Calif.-28) is expected to
serve as chair of the Courts, the Internet and
Intellectual Property Subcommittee.
Resources. Congressman Nick Rahall
(W.Va.-3) is expected to become the chairman of
the Resources Committee. His agenda will likely
be much different than that of outgoing Chairman
Richard Pombo (Calif.-11), who tried repeatedly
to rewrite the Endangered Species Act (PL 93-
205), which directs federal agencies to conserve
threatened species and prohibits industrial actions
that could harm endangered wildlife.
Rep. Rahall has argued that more funding is
necessary for federal agencies to fulfill their
responsibilities under the law, and does not favor
a complete overhaul of the law sought by outgoing
Chairman Pombo. Rep. Pombo’s election defeat
will likely put Congressman Jim Saxton (N.J.-3) in
the post of ranking member for the committee. In
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
a notable change in subcommittee leadership,
Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (Calif.-38)
is expected to chair the Water and Power Sub-
committee.
Rules. Democrats will get their first chance
in a dozen years to establish the ground rules for
House operations and floor debate when current
Rules committee Ranking Member Louise
Slaughter (N.Y.-28) moves into the chairmanship
position on the committee in January.
Current committee Chairman David Dreier
(Calif.-26) is expected to serve as the
committee’s ranking member in the new session,
and Democrats are expected to expand their
representation on the panel, where they are
presently outnumbered 9-4. Incoming Speaker
Nancy Pelosi will likely play a significant part in
choosing members of her party to fill any new
seats on the panel.
Transportation and Infrastructure. Current
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Ranking Member James Oberstar (Minn.-8) is
expected to become the committee’s new chair-
man in the 110th Congress. At the top of the
committee’s agenda will be the reauthorization of
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which
the committee takes on every four years.
In addition, the committee is likely to begin
preparations for the next highway bill, and con-
sider pipeline safety. Assuming Democrats do not
alter the subcommittee structure and that they
adhere to a seniority-based system, the following
Democrats will become subcommittee chairs of
the corresponding subcommittees in January—
Jerry Costello (Ill.-12) to Aviation; Bob Filner
(Calif.-51) to Coast Guard and Maritime Transpor-
tation; Eleanor Holmes Norton (Washington D.C.-
At Large) to Economic Development, Public
Buildings and emergency Management; Peter
DeFazio (Ore.-4) to Highways, Transit and Pipe-
lines; Corrine Brown (Fla.-3) to Railroads; and
Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas-30) to Water
Resources and Environment. Current committee
Chairman Don Young (Alaska-At Large) will likely
serve as the committee’s ranking member in
January.
Ways and Means. After 36 years in the
House, current Ways and Means Committee
Ranking Member Charles Rangel (N.Y .-15) will
finally ascend to chairman of the tax panel in
January. Rep. Rangel will chair a radically altered
committee because some of its veteran Republi-
can members either retired, as was the case of
current committee Chairman Bill Thomas (Calif.-
22), or were defeated in their re-election bids,
which is true of second-ranking panel Republican
E. Clay Shaw (Fla.-22) and third-ranking Nancy
Johnson (Conn.-5).
Republican members J.D. Hayworth (Ariz.-5),
Melissa Hart (Penn.-4) and Chris Chocola (Ind.-2)
were also defeated. Republicans will likely place
Wally Herger (Calif.-2) or Jim McCrery (La.-4) in
the ranking member position for the Committee in
the new session. Rep. Rangel is expected to seek
passage of that would make permanent the
research-and-development tax credit.
The incoming chairman also has expressed an
interest in expanding the earned income tax credit
for low-income wage earners. The following
Democrats are expected to chair their respective
subcommittees in January—Fortney “Pete”
Stark (Calif.-13) to Health; Jim McDermott
(Wash.-7) to Human Resources; John Lewis (Ga.-
5) to Oversight; and Michael McNulty (N.Y .-21) to
Select Revenue Measures.
Senate
With all 33 Senate races accounted for, Demo-
crats will claim the majority in the Senate for the
first time in 12 years. The Democrats gained six
seats to control the Senate by a 51-49 margin,
including two independents, Joe Lieberman (I-
Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who will caucus
with the Democrats. Despite the two-member
majority, Senate Democrats will have little flexibility
and strength on partisan issues and will have to
reach across the aisle to pass controversial
legislation.
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
Prior to November 7, Democrats were optimis-
tic that they would be able to regain control of the
Senate, even though they had to win six currently
controlled Republican seats.
With a controversial war in Iraq and concerns
over the corruption in Congress, Senate Demo-
crats were able to gain the six seats needed to
control the Senate as well as win all other demo-
cratically controlled incumbent seats. In two of
those states, Virginia and Montana, the races were
decided by less than a few thousand votes.
There were six Republican incumbent senators
who lost their election campaign on November 7.
Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), a longtime state auditor
and prosecutor, defeated Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.).
Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a small business owner and
farmer, defeated Conrad Burns (R-Mont.).
Seven-term Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-
Ohio), defeated Mike DeWine (R-Ohio). Bob
Casey Jr. (D-Penn.), a former state treasurer,
defeated Republican Conference Chair, Rick
Santorum (R-Penn.), the third ranking Republican
in the Senate. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a
former attorney general defeated Lincoln Chafee
(R-R.I.). Former Navy Secretary Jim Webb (D-
Va.) defeated George Allen (R-Va.).
In total, 10 new senators will join the 110th
Congress including, Ben Cardin (D-Md.), replacing
retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), Amy
Klobuchar (D-Minn.), replacing retiring Sen. Mark
Dayton (D-Minn.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), replacing
retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.),
and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) replacing retiring Sen.
James Jeffords (I-Vt.).
Senate Leadership. With Democrats gaining
control of the Senate, current Senate Minority
Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will become the Sen-
ate Majority Leader in the 110th Congress and Sen.
Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) will ascend to the position of
Majority Whip.
The Senate Democratic leadership team will
also include West Virginia’s Robert Byrd, who will
serve as the chamber’s President Pro Tempore,
and New York’s Charles Schumer, who will serve
as Vice Chair of the Democratic Conference as
well as Chairman of the Democratic Senate
Campaign Committee (DSCC). California Sen.
Barbara Boxer will serve as the party’s Chief
Deputy Whip.
Senate Republicans will look to new leader-
ship in the 110th Congress from current Majority
Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), as current Senate
Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is retiring at the
close of the current session. On November 15,
Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott defeated Sen. Lamar
Alexander (R-Tenn.) in his bid to become the
Senate Minority Whip in the coming session.
Senate Committees. The November 7
Senate election results will enable Democrats to
regain the chairmanships of all of chamber’s
committees. However, because Democrats will
only have a two-seat advantage over Republi-
cans, the ratio of Democrats to Republican
committee members will be slim, most likely a
one-seat advantage.
Currently, Republicans hold a two-seat
advantage over Democrats on most Committees.
However, party ratios on committees are subject
to negotiation between the majority and minority,
so it could be weeks before Committee rosters
are finalized.
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Cur-
rent Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
Ranking Member Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is ex-
pected to become chairman of the committee in
January, where he will oversee the reauthorization
of the farm bill. Sen. Harkin has expressed an
interest in working to strike a balance between
competing demands from commodity groups that
want continued government subsidies and envi-
ronmentalists who will seek additional funding for
conservation and renewable energy incentives.
The senator’s home state of Iowa is a chief
producer of corn and soy, and he is expected to
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
look more closely at renewable energy technology
derived from the use of those sources. The
committee’s current chairman, Sen. Saxby
Chambliss (R-Ga.), will likely become the panel’s
ranking member in the 110th Congress. Newly
elected Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Amy
Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will also join the panel.
Appropriations. Current Appropriations
Committee Ranking Member Robert Byrd (D-
W.Va.) will regain his chairmanship of the commit-
tee in the 110th Congress, and current Chairman
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is expected to
become the panel’s ranking member.
Sen. Byrd is expected to take a greater inter-
est in increasing funding for federal domestic
programs such as healthcare, education and
homeland security. However, it is unlikely that that
the incoming chairman will be able to significantly
raise spending levels for these domestic priorities
given the budget constraints imposed by the
ongoing military campaigns in Iraq and Afghani-
stan.
Two Republican committee members, Mike
DeWine (R-Ohio) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.),
were defeated in the elections and it is likely that
they will not be replaced. Instead, new Democrats
Jack Reed (R.I.), Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) and Ben
Nelson (Neb.) will be added to the panel. Most of
the Democrats serving as ranking members on
the panel’s subcommittees are expected to
become subcommittee chairs in the 110th Con-
gress, which may elevate California Sen.
Dianne Feinstein to chair of either Interior and
Related Agencies or the Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcom-
mittee in January.
Sen. Feinstein will likely continue to serve on
the Agriculture, Rural Development and Related
Agencies; Defense; Energy and Water and Re-
lated Agencies; Homeland Security; and Interior
and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommit-
tees in the coming session.
Transitioning from ranking member to sub-
committee chair on the remaining panels will likely
be Herbert Kohl (D-Wis.) to Agriculture, Rural
Development and Related Agencies; Barbara
Mikulski (D-Md.) to Commerce, Justice and
Science; Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) to Defense;
Mary Landrieu (D-La.) to District of Columbia;
either Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) or Patty Murray (D-
Wash.) to Energy and Water and Related Agen-
cies; either Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), Daniel Inouye
(D-Hawaii) or Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to Homeland
Security; Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) to Interior and
Related Agencies; Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to Labor,
Health and Human Services, Education and
Related Agencies; Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) or Tim
Johnson (D-S.D.) to Legislative Branch; Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.) to State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs; and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to
Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and Hous-
ing and Urban Development, and Related Agen-
cies.
Armed Services. Current Committee Rank-
ing Member Carl Levin (D-Mich.) will likely become
the new chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee, with Arizona senator and 2008 presi-
dential hopeful John McCain assuming the duties
of ranking member. As committee chairman, Sen.
Levin will continue to be critical of the President’s
strategy in Iraq, procurement practices and troop
levels.
Sen. Levin voted against the 2002 resolution
authorizing the use of force in Iraq (PL 107-243),
warning that it constituted a blank check approval
of unilateral operation. He has also charged that
the Administration manipulated intelligence about
Iraq to justify the war.
Although Sen. Levin remains a war critic, he
has not advocated for immediate withdrawal of
U.S. forces in Iraq. Instead the senator has
advocated that the U.S. should begin withdrawing
its troops to pressure Iraqis to take on their own
defense, though he has not endorsed a deadline
for finishing that job.
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
Both Sens. Levin and McCain advocate for
increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps
to reduce the need for repeated deployments,
increasing funding to replace and improve equip-
ment used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and protecting
taxpayers form contracting schemes that result in
unnecessary spending on weapons programs.
Both parties lost a member on the committee
in the elections, with Minnesota Democrat Mark
Dayton retiring and Missouri Republican failing to
gain reelection. Newly elected Sens. Claire
McCaskill (D-Mo.) and James Webb (D-Va.) will
also join the panel.
Budget. Current Ranking Member Kent
Conrad (D-N.D.) and Chairman Judd Gregg (R-
N.H.) will change position titles when Congress
reconvenes for a new session in January. During
his tenure as ranking member, Sen. Conrad has
repeatedly called for tight discretionary spending
and the need for Congress to re-subscribe to pay-
as-you-go budget rules.
Such rules require new tax cuts and entitle-
ment spending, such as Social Security and
Medicare, to be offset by cuts in other programs.
Republicans let those rules expire, making it
easier for them to advance their tax cuts, and
have blocked Democratic efforts to restore them.
Sen. Conrad, like his House counterpart, John
Spratt (N.C.-5), is likely to face pressure from his
Democratic colleagues to allocate more money to
domestic programs, even if that requires finding
more revenue.
Democrats will add newly elected Sens.
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bernie Sanders
(I-Vt.) to the committee, and Republicans may be
forced to remove Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
to agree with new party ratios.
Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Current Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and
ranking minority member Daniel Inouye (D-
Hawaii) will swap titles in the 110th Congress.
Sens. Stevens and Inouye have similar priorities
and have worked together closely for decades on
this committee as well as the Appropriations
Committee. With action on telecommunication
legislation unlikely during the lame-duck session,
the panel is expected to try again next year, with a
focus on stabilizing the Universal Service Fund
(USF).
Sen. Inouye has also been supportive of build-
out requirements and is likely to be more receptive
to incorporating them in any federal telecommuni-
cations law rewrite that the panel may consider in
the coming session. The panel may also try again
to strengthen rail and mass transit security as well
as reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration.
Committee members Conrad Burns (R-Mont.)
and George Allen (R-Va.) were both defeated in
their races, leaving Republicans with their current
committee roster to hold their remaining 10 seats
on the panel. Democrats will add newly elected
Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Amy
Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to the committee.
Energy and Natural Resources. New
Mexico Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D) and Pete
Domenici (R) will switch titles in the 110th Con-
gress, with Sen. Bingaman becoming chairman of
the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Both senators have worked together to develop
bipartisan energy legislation in the past including
the comprehensive policy overhaul enacted in
2005 (PL 109-58). On many issues, changes are
likely to be a matter of degree.
For example, while Sen. Bingaman agrees that
the nation needs to boost domestic oil and gas
production, he is a stronger advocate than Sen.
Domenici of improving energy efficiency and
increasing the use of power sources like wind and
solar energy. Both senators also recognize the
need for the federal government to address global
warming through some kind of mandatory controls
on greenhouse gas emissions.
Republicans lost three senators on the com-
mittee - Jim Talent (R-Mo.) and George Allen (R-
Va.) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.)—but will likely be
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
able to replace only one when the Democrats
assume control of the panel in January. Senate
Democrats will add newly elected Sen. John
Tester (D-Mont.) to the Committee. California
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is expected to retain her
assignments on the panel’s Energy, Public Lands
and Forests, and Water and Power subcommit-
tees.
Environment and Public Works. There are
few panels in Congress that will see a greater
impact from the Democratic victory at the polls
than the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee. With the retirement of Sen. James
Jeffords (I-Vt.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-
Conn.) likely ascension to the Homeland Security
and Government Affairs Committee chairman-
ship, Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) will
assume the position of ranking member and
relinquish his chairmanship to California Sen.
Barbara Boxer.
The two have clashed on nearly every issue
that has come before the committee, with the
most heated debate arising from the issue of
global warming. Serving as committee chairman,
Sen. Inhofe blocked bills seeking to cut the green-
house gases contributing to global warming,
calling the issue “the greatest hoax perpetrated on
the American people.”
Sen. Inhofe also attempted to overhaul the
Endangered Species Act and supported the
Administration’s 2002 rules to roll back provisions
in the Clean Air Act. Sen. Boxer has already
pledged to introduce legislation to curb green-
house gases, strengthen environmental laws
regarding public health and hold oversight hear-
ings on Federal plans to clean up Superfund sites
across the country.
On global warming, Sen. Boxer said she
would model federal legislation after a California
law signed this summer by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger. That law imposes the first
statewide cap on greenhouse gases and seeks to
cut California’s emissions by 25 percent, dropping
them to 1990 levels by 2020.
The president has opposed a federal mandate
to limit greenhouse gas emissions from industry
and automobiles, asserting that such steps should
be voluntary. His administration also has ruled that
greenhouse emissions are not a pollutant.
To better shape the committee’s agenda, Sen.
Boxer has recently announced a reorganization of
the panel’s subcommittees, including a new Public
Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight,
Children’s Health Protection and Nuclear Safety
Subcommittee.
The newly created panel is to be chaired by the
Sen. Boxer and maintain jurisdiction over Global
Warming, Oversight, Children’s Health Protection,
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Other subcommittees will include the Subcom-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, to be
chaired by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.); the
Subcommittee on Private Sector and Consumer
Solutions to Global Warming and Wildlife Protec-
tion, to be chaired by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I/D-
Conn.); the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Nuclear
Plant Security and Community Development, to be
chaired by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.); the Sub-
committee on Superfund and Environmental
Health, to be chaired by Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton (D-N.Y.); and the Subcommittee on Trans-
portation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water
Quality, to be chaired by Sen. Frank Lautenberg
(D-N.J.). The committee will also welcome newly
elected Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) to its ranks.
Despite Sen. Boxer’s aggressive agenda, the
Democrats’ narrow control of the chamber may
force the senator to settle for high-profile oversight
activity rather than passage of complex, controver-
sial environmental legislation.
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) is expected to regain
the chairmanship of the Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions (HELP) Committee in the 110th
Congress, while current Committee Chairman
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) will likely become the ranking
member. In assuming the chairmanship, Sen.
Kennedy will chart the course for the committee’s
review of the 2001 education law known as No
Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Sen. Kennedy was instrumental in forging an
agreement with congressional Republicans and
the White House to gain passage of the law, and
will certainly be a central figure in drafting its
reauthorization. Sen. Kennedy has also been a
consistent advocate for increasing the federal
minimum wage, and is expected to renew his
campaign to increase the current wage to $7.25
per hour over two years.
The incoming chairman has also expressed
an interest in increasing access to affordable
healthcare for all Americans, and is expected to
revisit the committee’s efforts to reauthorize the
Ryan White Care Act next session. New to the
committee in 2007 will be Illinois Democratic Sen.
Barak Obama and newly elected Sens. Bernie
Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
Homeland Security and Government
Affairs. Despite Ranking Member Joseph
Lieberman’s (I-Conn.) campaign departure from
the Democratic party, he is expected to retain his
seniority in the group and assume the chairman-
ship of the Homeland Security and Government
Affairs Committee in the next Congress.
Current Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine)
will remain in the top spot for the Republican
position, assuming the role of Ranking Member.
Sen. Lieberman is expected to conduct vigorous
oversight of the sprawling Homeland Security
Department. The senator was a driving force
behind the creation of the Department in 2002 (PL
107-296) and has repeatedly expressed frustration
by its many operational issues.
While the chamber’s House companion, the
House Homeland Security Committee, may revisit
the funding formula for homeland security grant
programs, Sens. Lieberman and Collins are
unlikely to favorably entertain any changes to the
current formula. Both senators serve small states
that benefit from the current formula.
Leaving the committee in the 110th Congress
will be retiring Sen. Mark Dayton (D-Minn.) and
Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), who was defeated in
his reelection bid. Newly elected Sens. Claire
McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) will
join the panel in January.
Judiciary. Current Judiciary Committee
Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Chair-
man Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) will switch titles in
January. As committee chairman, Sen. Leahy is
expected to conduct much more rigorous over-
sight of President Bush’s counterterrorism tactics
and lead the effort to reject any controversial
White House-recommended judicial nominees.
However, Sens. Leahy and Specter are likely
to find common ground with the Administration in
crafting comprehensive immigration reform
legislation, should the current Congress fail to
adopt such a measure in the post-election ses-
sion. The incoming chairman and ranking mem-
ber are also expected to move a bipartisan anti-
gang measure in the next Congress.
With the elections resolved, it is unclear
whether or not the issue of eminent domain will
attract enough support to receive committee
consideration in the new Congress. No such
legislation is expected to move in the post-election
session. Newly elected Democrats Ben Cardin
(Md.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) will join the
committee in January, while Ohio Republican Sen.
Mike DeWine, who was defeated in his reelection
bid, will not return.
Rules and Administration. California Sen.
Dianne Feinstein is expected to chair the Rules
and Administration Committee in the 110th Con-
gress, with Mississippi Republican Trent Lott
serving as the committee’s ranking member.
Sen. Feinstein has expressed interest in taking
up a rules change that would require disclosure of
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December 1, 2006 - Issue #46
the senators responsible for all “earmarks” in
appropriations, authorizations and tax bills. The
House adopted a similar rule in September that will
expire at the end of this Congress, though the
Senate did not.
Sen. Feinstein also plans to address election
overhaul legislation with a focus on implementing
reliable electronic voting systems. Three senators
will not be returning to the Committee in January—
Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Mark Dayton (D-Minn.),
who are retiring; and Rick Santorum (R-Penn.),
who was defeated in his re-election bid.
FEDERAL UPDATE from page 15
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