Introduction and Analysis of the House Standing Committee Leadership

On Friday, subscription-only MIRS and Gongwers announced that the House had selected the new leadership for the Standing Committees. The list contained a few surprises, but for the most part, it was true to the path that Speaker Andy Dillon has set in motion since his election.

The list is below, and some analysis of the appointments below. Given that I wasn't old enough to vote the last time that Democrats held power, my analysis is humbly offered. Feel free to add your two cents.

Agriculture: Rep. Jeff Mayes (D-Bay City)
Appropriations: Rep. George Cushingberry Jr. (D-Detroit)
Banking & Financial Services: Rep. Andy Courlouis (D-Saginaw)
Commerce: Rep. Andy Meisner (D-Ferndale)
Education: Rep. Tim Melton (D-Auburn Hills)
Energy & Tech: Rep. Frank Acciavatti (D-Eastpointe)
Ethics & Elections: Rep. Marc Corriveau (D-Northville)
Family & Children Services: Rep. Brenda Clack (D-Flint)
Government Operations: Rep. Lisa Wojno (D-Warren)
Great Lakes & The Environment: Rep. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor)
Health Policy: Rep. Kathy Angerer (D-Dundee)
Insurance: Rep. Virgil Smith (D-Detroit)
Intergovernmental, Urban and Regional Affairs: Rep., Barb Byrum (D-Onondaga)
Judiciary: Rep. Paul Condino (D-Southfield)
Labor: Rep. Fred Miller (D-Mt. Clemens)
Military, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security: Rep. Gino Polidori (D-Dearborn)
New Economy & Quality of Life: Rep. Ed Clemente (D-Lincoln Park)
Oversight and Investigations: Rep. Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit)
Regulatory Reform: Rep. Barb Farrah (D-Southgate)
Senior Health, Security & Retirement: Rep. Robert Jones (D-Grand Rapids)
Tax Policy: Rep. Steve Bieda (D-Warren)
Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources: Rep. Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch)
Transportation: Rep. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor)

Analysis

Jeff Mayes - (Agriculture) Mayes has long been a fan of alternative fuels and has a good history during the last 2 years of his tenure of being a progressive supporter of Michigan's agricultural economy. Out of all of the Dems in the House, he probably has the strongest ties with the Agri-Business community, and is highly thought of as a public servant who is very effective.

George Cushingberry Jr.- (Appropriations) Grandfathered in by the state term limits, Cushingberry has entered his final term in the House. Previously he served on multiple committees while he was in the House from 1974-1982, including Appropriations.
While he's got a legal matter concerning the filing of campaign finance statements hanging over his head, technically Cushingberry's got the most qualifying experience to head up Appropriations, where all the money is handled. Dillon's appointment of Cushingberry is a resounding approval and trust in this man known as an extremely smart and savvy legislator.

Andy Coulouris - (Banking and Financial Services) Coulouris is one of only six freshmen representatives chosen to chair a committee. Coulouris was an assistant prosecutor for Saginaw County, and held a seat on the Saginaw City Council. Rep. Coulouris is a member of the Saginaw Downtown Development Authority, the Saginaw Community Enrichment Commission, and the Saginaw County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Let's hope that his youth and impressive political resume add a fresh but grounded perspective to this important committee.

Andy Meisner - (Commerce) Meisner's appointment is no big surprise. He's served as the Vice-Chair of the House Commerce Committee and Ethics, Oversight and Campaign Finance Committee, and was a member of the Tax Policy Committee. Given Meisner's experience in the public, non-profit and private sectors, he should do exceedingly well with this committee.

Tim Melton - (Education) Melton's another one of the Freshman Six, appointed to chair a committee. Back home in Auburn Hills, he sits as a member of Oakland University's Political Science Alumni Board. No other relevant information was available online after an extensive search regarding Melton's educational experience.

Frank Accavitti - (Energy and Technology) Accavitti was a natural choice, most recently serving as Minority Vice Chair of the committee for the previous session.

Marc Corriveau - (Ethics and Elections) The third of the Freshmen Six, the irony is not missed that Corriveau was one of the surprise winners from the 20th District, where there quite a few ethics issues with the Republican primary candidates, particularly Beth Stewart, wife of former Representative John Stewart. With his legal background, Corriveau maybe a fresh face to Lansing, but he's a hard worker and dedicated public servant with a strong set of ethics that should do well.

Brenda Clack - (Family and Children Services) Clack's tenure of 32 years as an award-winning teacher was not missed when she was selected as the Minority Vice Chair of this committee last session. Known as strong family and children advocate, Clack is the natural choice.

Lisa Wojno - (Government Operations) Wojno's a third-term representative who most recently served as Minority Vice Chair of the Regulatory Reform committee, and held a seat on the Insurance committee. This committee is often used as a catch-all for bills that really don't fit in any other committees, and Wojno could potentially see some heavy-hitters.

Rebekah Warren - (Great Lakes and Environment) As the fourth member of the Freshmen Six, Warren's long been held in high regard across Michigan for her strong record of progressive activism. Her appointment as Chair could signal the Democrats turn towards getting aggressive on issues like renewable energy standards, and more regulated energy use through efficiency standards and incentives. It also must be mentioned that with Warren being such a strong Pro-Choice advocate, this could be Speaker Dillon's way of reaching out to the Pro-Choice delegation. Regardless, expect her to be one of the Democrats rising stars.

Kathy Angerer - (Health Policy) A previous member of the committee, Angerer is a good choice, but an interesting one. Hailing from the typically conservative 55th district (Monroe and part of Washtenaw) her Anti-Choice background must be mentioned, but despite that, she's had a very progressive record of working for the patients. The hot-button statewide issue has been stem cell research. Angerer's got a favorable voting record on the issue, but it will be interesting to see how she reacts when Andy Meisner re-introduces his stem cell research bill, anticipated early this year. Further up the chain, will the Speaker hold true to his promise not to block any introduction of stem cell legislation? Let's hope so.

Virgil Smith Jr. - (Insurance) Smith's appointment was welcome news to the Detroit-area Democrats. Long the issue of Detroiters, Smith has worked hard to bring more equity to the insurance system for auto owners, and to fight excessive rates.

Barb Byrum - (Intergovernmental, Urban and Regional Affairs) Yet another of the Freshmen Six, Byrum was a smart choice for the position. She has an extensive history of regional economic development issues. That coupled with her law degree and experience as a small business owner, Byrum brings a unique mixture to the committee. She's got big shoes to fill, but Dillon's faith in her abilities seems apparent with the selection.

Paul Condino - (Judiciary) Condino's extensive legal background and previous experience on the Judiciary Committee makes this change a smart and seamless one. With a proven record of fighting for progressive legal rights, let's hope Condino takes his experience into the Committee room with him.

Fred Miller - (Labor) Miller's a second-term representative from Mt. Clemens. Since serving a stint as former Congressman David Bonior's aide, Miller's had strong ties with the labor community that he's held on to.

Gino Polidori - (Military, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security) Another no-brainer. Polidori's an Army veteran, and Dearborn's retired Fire Chief. Previous committee assignments include Senior Health, Security and Retirement, Education, and Family and Children Services.

Ed Clemente - (New Economy and Quality of Life) The choice of Clemente is not too surprising considering his long history of business development Downriver and within the Greater Wayne County area.

Steve Tobocman - (Oversight and Investigations) For the new Majority Floor Leader, this committee seems like a good fit. With the whispers of scandals that tainted the previous session, the House is in good need of a firm hand with the gavel. Tobocman's professional legal and policy experience should bode well in this powerful committee.

Barbara Farrah - (Regulatory Reform) Entering her third-term, Farrah joins the important Regulatory Reform committee following a strong background serving on the Tax Policy, Employment Relations, and Insurance committees. Expect powerful but fair leadership from Farrah.

Robert Jones - (Senior Health, Security and Retirement) The final member of the Freshman Six, Jones was elected after serving as the mayor of Kalamazoo, and served on the Executive Committee for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, appointed by Gov. Granholm. After spending over 30 years as a chemist, he has strong ties to the scientific and economic communities.

Steve Bieda - (Tax Policy) Now in his third term, Bieda has a thorough background as an attorney specializing in tax policy, and served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the House back in the 90's before being elected. Last term he served as the Minority Vice Chair on this committee, so his succession seems natural and should be a seamless transition.

Joel Sheltrown - (Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources) Sheltrown is a popular Democrat among the heavily-Republican laden northern Lower Peninsula. Sheltrown served on the former Conservation, Forestry and Outdoor Recreation Committee. He has a very pro-environment stance, and should be a good fit.

Hoon-Yung Hopgood - (Transportation) While Hopgood has not served on Transportation previously, he is known as an extremely effective legislator. Transportation is a very important committee and expect him to use his previous legislative experience to be equally effective here.

(Cross-posted on Michigan Liberal and Daily Kos)