Rules on Committees, chairmanship and membership

[TayTay]

The Role of Seniority in Selection of Chairmen and Ranking Members

Traditionally, the majority party member with the greatest seniority on a particular committee serves as its chairman. When the Republican party gained the majority in 1995, it altered its conference rules to allow Republicans on individual committees to vote by secret ballot for their committee's chairman, irrespective of that member's seniority. This adjustment was a logical consequence of the party's larger decision to place a six-year term limit on the service of its chairmen or, when in the minority, its ranking members.

Service

Senate Rule XXIV specifies that committee chairmen and members be appointed on the authority of a Senate Resolution, unless otherwise ordered. The rules also provide the following assignment limitations:

A, B, C's. Each senator may serve on no more than two Class A committees and one Class B panel. There are no limits to service on Class C panels.

Class A subcommittees. Within each of their assigned Class A committees, members who are not full committee chairmen may serve on three subcommittees, but they are eligible to chair--or serve as ranking minority member of--only one of those subcommittees. Appropriations subcommittee assignments are exempt from this limitation. Chairmen of full committees may chair only one Class A subcommittee among all their committee assignments.

Class B subcommittees. Senators may also serve on two subcommittees within their Class B committees. (There is no limit to service on Class C committees.) The chairman of a Class B full committee may not chair any Class B subcommittee, but may serve as a nonvoting member of any of that panel's subcommittees.

"Super A" committees. Republican Conference rules limit party members to service on only one of the so-called "Super A" committees--Appropriations, Armed Services, Finance, and Foreign Relations. Democrats observe the same practice for five committees--these four plus the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Same-state rule. Both party conferences provide that when a state happens to be represented by two senators of the same party, the two may not serve together on the same committee.

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Committees.htm">Rules of the Senate

Interesting. Sen. Kerry serves on 3, not 2, Class A committees. He has only one Class B committee. He also has membership on one joint committee.

Chairmanships are given upon seniority when the Dems are in the majority. Next in line for SFRC is Chris Dodd. He has said that he is not taking that this term. Sen. Kerry is next in line. Should the Dems retain the Senate in the next medterm, the Chairmanship would again go in favor of Seniority. Chris Dodd would still be next in line, unless he again renounces it for another chairmanship, as he is doing this time.

[karynnj]

1. Oh no, Senator Kerry is breaking the rules and working too hard

Good think neither EOR of Beatty found this :)

Does this mean the leadership can approve some one being on more committees?

[TayTay]

3. Look at the membership on these 5 committees

That the Democrats think of as Super A committees,
CST = Commerce, Science and Transportation, SFRC = Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Armed Svs = Armed Services, and the Appropriations and Finance Committees.

Akaka, Daniel K. (HI) Armed Svs
Alexander, Lamar (TN) Appropriations
Allard, Wayne (CO) Appropriations
Barrasso, John (WY) SFRC
Baucus, Max (MT) , Chairman Finance
Bayh, Evan (IN) Armed Svs
Bennett, Robert F. (UT) Appropriations
Biden, Joseph R. (DE) , Chairman SFRC
Bingaman, Jeff (NM) Finance
Bond, Christopher S. (MO) Appropriations
Boxer, Barbara (CA) CST
Boxer, Barbara (CA) SFRC
Brownback, Sam (KS) Appropriations
Bunning, Jim (KY) Finance
Byrd, Robert C. (WV) Armed Svs
Byrd, Robert C. (WV) , Chairman Appropriations
Cantwell, Maria (WA) CST
Cantwell, Maria (WA) Finance
Cardin, Benjamin L. (MD) SFRC
Carper, Thomas R. (DE) CST
Casey, Robert P. (PA) SFRC
Chambliss, Saxby (GA) Armed Svs
Clinton, Hillary Rodham (NY) Armed Svs
Cochran, Thad (MS), Ranking Member Appropriations
Coleman, Norm (MN) SFRC
Collins, Susan M. (ME) Armed Svs
Conrad, Kent (ND) Finance
Corker, Bob (TN) SFRC
Cornyn, John (TX) Armed Svs
Craig, Larry E. (ID) Appropriations
Crapo, Mike (ID) Finance
DeMint, Jim (SC) CST
DeMint, Jim (SC) SFRC
Dodd, Christopher J. (CT) SFRC
Dole, Elizabeth (NC) Armed Svs
Domenici, Pete V. (NM) Appropriations
Dorgan, Byron L. (ND) CST
Dorgan, Byron L. (ND) Appropriations
Durbin, Richard (IL) Appropriations
Ensign, John (NV) CST
Ensign, John (NV) Finance
Feingold, Russell D. (WI) SFRC
Feinstein, Dianne (CA) Appropriations
Graham, Lindsey (SC) Armed Svs
Grassley, Chuck (IA), Ranking Member Finance
Gregg, Judd (NH) Appropriations
Hagel, Chuck (NE) SFRC
Harkin, Tom (IA) Appropriations
Hatch, Orrin G. (UT) Finance
Hutchison, Kay Bailey (TX) Appropriations
Hutchison, Kay Bailey (TX), Ranking Member CST
Inhofe, James M. (OK) Armed Svs
Inouye, Daniel K. (HI) Appropriations
Inouye, Daniel K. (HI) , Chairman CST
Isakson, Johnny (GA) SFRC
Johnson, Tim (SD) Appropriations
Kennedy, Edward M. (MA) Armed Svs
Kerry, John F. (MA) CST
Kerry, John F. (MA) SFRC
Kerry, John F. (MA) Finance
Klobuchar, Amy (MN) CST
Kohl, Herb (WI) Appropriations
Kyl, Jon (AZ) Finance
Landrieu, Mary L. (LA) Appropriations
Lautenberg, Frank R. (NJ) CST
Lautenberg, Frank R. (NJ) Appropriations
Leahy, Patrick J. (VT) Appropriations
Levin, Carl (MI) , Chairman Armed Svs
Lieberman, Joseph I. (CT) Armed Svs
Lincoln, Blanche L. (AR) Finance
Lugar, Richard G. (IN), Ranking Member SFRC
Martinez, Mel (FL) Armed Svs
McCain, John (AZ) CST
McCain, John (AZ), Ranking Member Armed Svs
McCaskill, Claire (MO) CST
McCaskill, Claire (MO) Armed Svs
McConnell, Mitch (KY) Appropriations
Menendez, Robert (NJ) SFRC
Mikulski, Barbara A. (MD) Appropriations
Murkowski, Lisa (AK) SFRC
Murray, Patty (WA) Appropriations
Nelson, Bill (FL) CST
Nelson, Bill (FL) SFRC
Nelson, Bill (FL) Armed Svs
Nelson, E. Benjamin (NE) Armed Svs
Nelson, E. Benjamin (NE) Appropriations
Obama, Barack (IL) SFRC
Pryor, Mark L. (AR) CST
Pryor, Mark L. (AR) Armed Svs
Reed, Jack (RI) Armed Svs
Reed, Jack (RI) Appropriations
Roberts, Pat (KS) Finance
Rockefeller, John D. (WV) CST
Rockefeller, John D. (WV) Finance
Salazar, Ken (CO) Finance
Schumer, Charles E. (NY) Finance
Sessions, Jeff (AL) Armed Svs
Shelby, Richard C. (AL) Appropriations
Smith, Gordon H. (OR) CST
Smith, Gordon H. (OR) Finance
Snowe, Olympia J. (ME) CST
Snowe, Olympia J. (ME) Finance
Specter, Arlen (PA) Appropriations
Stabenow, Debbie (MI) Finance
Stevens, Ted (AK) CST
Stevens, Ted (AK) Appropriations
Sununu, John E. (NH) CST
Sununu, John E. (NH) Finance
Thune, John (SD) CST
Thune, John (SD) Armed Svs
Vitter, David (LA) CST
Vitter, David (LA) SFRC
Voinovich, George V. (OH) SFRC
Warner, John (VA) Armed Svs
Webb, Jim (VA) SFRC
Webb, Jim (VA) Armed Svs
Wicker, Roger F. (MS) CST
Wicker, Roger F. (MS) Armed Svs
Wyden, Ron (OR) Finance

2 Democratic Senators have 3 committee assignments on these Class A committees. Sen. Bill Nelson from FL and Sen. John Kerry from MA.

Huh! So, who do the Dems and Repubs think are heavy hitters again?

If memory serves, it takes a special vote from the Senate to override the rules on membership on committees. If I can find the passage from 2001 on Finance Committee membership, I will post it.

[karynnj]

4. Wow

I'm surprised that HELP is not "A".

[TayTay]

5. LOL, it is A

Just not Super A.

Three Super A's. Not bad.

[karynnj]

6. I missed the distinction of "super"

This does show that he had to have had respect for his committee work, otherwise he certainly wouldn't have gotten the rules waived to give him the third - especially as others likely wanted it.

[ProSense]

2. Great stuff. Thanks for posting. n/t