Democratic
Membership on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittees in the 106th
Congress
James L. Oberstar (Minn.),
Ranking Democratic Member
=======================
WASHINGTON—Democrats on the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee made their subcommittee choices
for the 106th Congress today and elected Ranking Members for
the new subcommittee structure approved as part of the House rules package
adopted yesterday.
In the new Congress, the T\ransportation
committee will retain six subcommittees, as it has had in the past. However,
the new alignment will merge the Subcommittees on Surface Transportation
and Railroads into a single panel, renamed the Subcommittee on Ground Transportation.
A new Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Emergency Management
has been created. In addition, jurisdiction over pipelines and hazardous
materials has been shifted from the Surface Transportation subcommittee
to the renamed Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings,
Hazardous Materials and Pipeline Transportation.
Transportation and Infrastructure Democrats
elected Rep. Nick Joe Rahall of West Virginia, ranking Democrat on the
Surface Transportation subcommittee in the 105th Congress, their
Ranking Member on the reconfigured Ground Transportation subcommittee.
Fellow West Virginian Rep. Robert Wise, who previously led the Democratic
caucus on the Railroads subcommittee, was elected ranking Democrat on the
expanded Economic Development subcommittee.
Rep. Jim Traficant of Ohio was elected
ranking Democrat on the new Oversight subcommittee, and Rep. Peter DeFazio
of Oregon, was elected top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Coast Guard
and Maritime Transportation.
Reps. Robert Borski of Pennsylvania
and William Lipinski of Illinois were reelected ranking Democrats on the
Water Resources and Aviation subcommittees, respectively.
Rep. James Oberstar of Minnesota will
continue to serve as the Ranking Member on the full committee and hold
ex-officio seats on each of the subcommittees. Oberstar was reelected by
the full House Democratic Caucus at its reorganizational meeting in November.
Democrats hold 34 seats on the 75-seat
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the same number they held
in the 105th Congress, despite the narrower Republican House majority in
the new Congress.
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