Minn. GOP To Run Legislature With Fewer Panels
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The new Republican majorities at the Minnesota Capitol applied their desire to scale back government on Tuesday by significantly cutting the number of legislative committees as they prepare to take power in January.
House Speaker-designate Kurt Zellers and incoming Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch unveiled a slimmed-down committee roster at a joint news conference, saying the new setup will make it easier for people to follow the legislative process and free lawmakers to spend more time with constituents.
Their plan establishes 24 committees in the House and 16 in the Senate, down by more than a third from a proliferation of panels under the departing Democratic leadership. Voters earlier this month overturned nearly four decades of Democratic rule in the Senate and unseated a four-year Democratic House majority.
"We have reformed government, starting with ourselves. This is what voters expect of us, this is what they demanded -- that we get in there and start with ourselves first," said Zellers, a Republican from Maple Grove.
Koch, a Republican from Buffalo, said the new structure could save the Senate as much as $300,000 over a two-year budget period and reduce daily expense payments to senators who won't have to attend as many meetings between legislative sessions. Zellers couldn't quantify savings for the House, but a Senate GOP handout said both chambers combined could save as much as $750,000 over two years.
Over the past two decades, the Senate alone has had as many as 61 panels at times, with committee divisions focused on everything from liquor to charter schools, ethical conduct, parks and trails, and reform and innovation. The changing slate of panels is tracked by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, which also has records showing a Joint Senate/House Libraries division in 1991 and 1992.
The number of House panels has fluctuated along with party control, with Democrats creating more than 40 committees and divisions when they took power in 2006, after eight years of Republican rule with 30 or fewer panels. Both approaches look streamlined compared to the 60-plus panels under the Democratic House majorities of the early 1990s.
Koch said she served on five separate committees last session, leaving her with about a half hour a day to meet with constituents. She promised that the new plan would help make state government "user-friendly."
Fewer committees also mean fewer jobs running the panels. Koch said the Senate will get by with four or five fewer committee staff positions as her caucus hires new employees. Zellers also predicted a staff reduction in the House, but couldn't say how many positions. Many of the legislative staffers hired by the Democratic majorities are facing layoffs as power shifts at the Capitol.
Koch and Zellers plan to name committee leaders on Wednesday. The appointments allow them to reward senior members and build prestige for lawmakers who might be vulnerable in the next election.
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