Pace assigns minority Dems to committees

House minority leader-to-be Sal Pace announced Tuesday the assignment of his party's members to the chamber's committees.

The designations follow:

Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources

Rep. Randy Fischer, Fort Collins (ranking member)
Rep. Wes McKinley, Baca County
Rep. Su Ryden, Aurora
Rep. Ed Vigil, Alamosa
Rep.-elect Matt Jones, Louisville
Rep.-elect Roger Wilson, Glenwood Springs

Appropriations

Rep. Mark Ferrandino, Denver (ranking member)
Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, Gunbarrel
Rep. Andy Kerr, Lakewood
Rep. Jim Riesberg, Greeley
Rep. Judy Solano, Brighton
Rep.-elect Dan Pabon, Denver

Economic and Business Development

Rep. John Soper, Thornton (ranking member)
Rep. Joe Miklosi, Denver
Rep. Max Tyler, Golden
Rep.-elect Deb Gardner, Boulder
Rep.-elect Angela Williams, Denver
Rep.-elect Roger Wilson, Glenwood Springs

Education

Rep. Judy Solano, Brighton (ranking member)
Rep. Andy Kerr, Lakewood
Rep. Cherylin Peniston, Westminster
Rep. Sue Schafer, Wheat Ridge
Rep. Nancy Todd, Aurora
Rep.-elect Millie Hamner, Frisco

Finance

Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, Gunbarrel (ranking member)
Rep. Daniel Kagan, Englewood
Rep. John Kefalas, Fort Collins
Rep. Jeanne Labuda, Denver
Rep.-elect Crisanta Duran, Denver
Rep.-elect Dan Pabon, Denver

Health and Environment

Rep. Jim Riesberg, Greeley (ranking member)
Rep. John Kefalas, Fort Collins
Rep-elect Rhonda Fields, Aurora
Rep. Beth McCann, Denver
Rep. Cherylin Peniston, Westminster
Rep. Sue Schafer, Wheat Ridge

Judiciary

Rep. Claire Levy, Boulder (ranking member)
Rep. Daniel Kagan, Englewood
Rep. Su Ryden, Aurora
Rep.-elect Crisanta Duran, Denver
Rep.-elect Pete Lee, Colorado Springs

Local Government

Rep. Ed Casso, Commerce City (ranking member)
Rep. Beth McCann, Denver
Rep. John Soper, Thornton
Rep.-elect Rhonda Fields, Aurora
Rep.-elect Pete Lee, Colorado Springs

State, Veterans, and Military Affairs

Rep. Nancy Todd, Aurora (ranking member)
Rep. Lois Court, Denver
Rep. Claire Levy, Boulder
Rep. Joe Miklosi, Denver

Transportation

Rep. Max Tyler, Golden (ranking member)
Rep. Randy Fischer, Fort Collins
Rep. Matt Jones, Louisville
Rep.-elect Deb Gardner, Boulder
Rep.-elect Millie Hamner, Frisco
Rep.-elect Angela Williams, Denver

Capitol Development

Rep. Ed Vigil, Alamosa

Audit

Rep. Joe Miklosi, Denver
Rep.-elect Deb Gardner, Boulder

Nine new Democratic members are joining the House, joining 23 veteran legislators in the caucus.

The Democrats will have 32 seats in the House when the 68th General Assembly opens Jan. 12. That is one fewer than the Republicans.

Democrats continue to control the state Senate, as they have since Jan. 2005.

Senate Republican leader announces committee assignments

The Republican party did not win a majority in the state Senate in this month's election, but the addition of several new GOP members to the General Assembly's upper chamber will cause some changes in the body's committee assignments.

Minority leader Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, announced those changes today. Here, listed by committee, are the Republican members for the 68th General Assembly:

Business Affairs, Labor & Technology

Sen. Al White, R-Hayden - Ranking Member
Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch
Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray - Ranking Member
Harvey
White

Finance

Sen. Keith King, R-Colorado Springs - Ranking Member
Brophy
Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Parker

Judiciary

Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud - Ranking Member
K. King
Scheffel

Education

Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial - Ranking Member
K. King
Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley

Local Government & Energy

Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango - Ranking Member
Sen. Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs
Sen. Kevin Grantham, R-Canon City

State, Veterans & Military Affairs

Cadman - Ranking Member
Grantham

Health & Human Services

Mitchell - Ranking Member
Lundberg
Roberts

Transportation

Renfroe - Ranking Member
King
Spence

Appropriations

Harvey - Ranking Member
Grantham
Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs
White

Audit

K. King
Sen. Steve King, R-Grand Junction

Legislative Council

Kopp
Cadman
Renfroe
Scheffel

Legal Services

Brophy
Roberts

Capital Development

Renfroe

Joint Budget Committee

Lambert

Cadman will serve as assistant minority leader, while Scheffel will be the GOP caucus chair. Renfroe will be the minority whip.

Scheffel Replaces Kopp on Senate Education Committee

There has been a change in the GOP membership of the Senate Education Committee.

Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Parker, has replaced Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, according to a report in Education News Colorado.

The change has apparently already taken effect.

GOP Sets Senate Committee Assignments

The Senate GOP caucus has finalized some committee appointments for the upcoming 2009 session, choosing a veteran legislator from El Paso county to be the ranking minority member on the key State, Veterans and Military Affairs panel.

Bill Cadman, who was appointed to the Senate last year, will assume the ranking member post on the committee that deals with military matters, minority leader Josh Penry said.

"Sen. Cadman’s military service along with his natural leadership skills make him the perfect choice to lead the Republican efforts to fight for Colorado’s military community," Penry said.

Other appointments announced by the Senate's minority caucus are:

* Former House majority leader and freshman Sen. Keith King of Colorado Springs as ranking minority member on the Finance Committee;

* Veteran conservative Sen. Dave Schultheis of Colorado Springs as ranking minority member on the Health & Human Services Committee.

Speaker Romanoff Announces New Committee Assignments

In the aftermath of the resignation of former Rep. Michael Garcia and the appointment of Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, to replace him, speaker Andrew Romanoff shuffled Democratic committee assignments Wednesday.

Middleton was assigned to the Education and State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committees. She replaces Rep. Edward Casso, D-Commerce City, on the education panel and Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, on the State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.

Casso moves over to the Business Affairs & Labor Committee, where he replaces Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver.

Ferrandino moves to the Finance Committee.

Carroll, having recently been elected assistant majority leader, will remain only on the Judiciary Committee. He will keep his post as chair of that committee.

In addition, Reps. Christine Scanlan, D-Dillon, and Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins, switch committee assignments. Scanlan goes from the Transportation & Energy Committee to the Education Committee while Fischer moves from the education panel to Pueblo West Democrat Buffie McFadyen's transportation and energy panel.

Romanoff Announces New Committee Assignments

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) announced new assignments to committees Sunday, including giving a convert from the GOP an important vice-chair slot.

Rep. Debbie Stafford (D-Aurora), who switched parties after last year's session, will be the new vice-chair of the Judiciary committee. She replaces Rep. Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora), who is replacing former Rep. Mike Cerbo as chair of the House majority caucus.

Rep. Stafford will also continue to sit on the Health and Human Services committee.

Romanoff also gave committee assignments to the chamber's two Democratic newcomers, Christine Scanlan and Mark Ferrandino.

Ferrandino, who replaced Cerbo, will sit on the Business Affairs and Labor committee and the State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee.

Scanlan, who replaced Sen. Dan Gibbs when he took the seat formerly occupied by Joan Fitz-Gerald, will sit on Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources committee and the Transportation and Energy committee.

Romanoff also announced that Rep. Cheri Jahn (D-Wheat Ridge) will replace Cerbo on the Judiciary committee and that Rep. Gwyn Green (D-Golden) will replace Gibbs as vice-chair of the Transportation and Energy committee.