An Afterthought On Laubenberg In The Chair
Yesterday we saw a little activity in the blogging universe about Representative Jodie Laubenberg being appointed Chair of the Public Health Committee, replacing the resigning Ms. Delisi. But before everyone gets excited, calm down a bit. The race for this chairmanship in the 81st is hardly over.
This is how Speaker Craddick has handled these situations in the past, by promoting the Vice Chair until deciding on a permanent Chair at the start of next session. Unless I am mistaken, Ms. Laubenberg has found herself in this exact situation before.
Sometimes the place holder is made permanent, sometimes they aren’t. But if this surely was a permanent move then I believe there would be a bit more buzz out there, perhaps at least a press release with the Speaker touting his latest appointment. For the life of me, I can’t even find as much as that.
The committee’s schedule also leads me to believe that this is simply a procedural move. Public Health has already had five hearings this interim, and do not appear to have another hearing scheduled anytime soon. Odds are they are done with their interim work.
So those who were looking forward to a vigorous battle for this Chairmanship, rest assured that you will not be cheated. The game is very much still on, so lets take a quick look at which competitors I have heard mentioned.
Of course, the picks I am about to throw out there are all under the assumption that Speaker Craddick is still Speaker Craddick. In the event that he isn’t then all bets are off. With that established, We’ll start with Jody Laubenberg since she already finds herself as the chair. She will be entering her 4th term in the Legislature, usually signaling that one is due a promotion. I don’t doubt that Ms. Laubenberg wants this spot, and as the long standing Vice Chair of Public Health, she can probably make a good case for it as well. But she will not be alone.
I expect she will be joined by John Davis, so long as he emerges from this November. If entering your 4th term signals that you are ready to chair a committee, then Mr. Davis starting his 6th term next January must scream it through a loud horn. But chairmanships are not handed down based on seniority alone (thankfully). Fortunate for Mr. Davis, his resume does not stop there. His position as Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services puts him as close to this issue as anyone else in the House, and it would also make for a sensible transition into the Chair of Public Health.
The last name I’ve heard whispered is Vickie Truitt, who will pose tough competition of her own. Ms. Truitt has been on the committee as far back as 2003, giving her the necessary experience as well. But I would argue that all three of these names have the necessary experience, and that this chairmanship will be decided by what sets them apart from there. And Ms. Truitt may have the biggest trump card in that game. She’s a current Chairman. She has the prior experience of running a committee, and one has to wonder if now that he has a little farm system of Republican talent set up, if Speaker Craddick will trust a committee like Public Health to a first time committee chairman.
The three before mentioned, and perhaps a dark horse or two will make for a very competitive push for the Public Health Chair. This and Transportation might just be the best two to watch. Looking at the calendar, we have roughly six months to go before committee appointments.
Let the jockeying begin.