Committee assignments considered by delegation

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004 | 10:56 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., isn't the only Nevada senator who plans to pursue loftier heights within his party.

Republican John Ensign, with no ambitions to run for governor in 2006, plans to run for re-election to a second term in the Senate. And he wants to raise his profile in the final two years of his term by seeking a leadership post.

"I've discussed it with some trusted colleagues and received a favorable response," Ensign said. "I see it as an opportunity to further the goals and principles of the Republican Party."

Both parties have organizational structures and elected posts in the Senate. Ensign is considering running for Republican conference chairman, vice chairman or policy committee chairman, Ensign spokesman Jack Finn said.

Meanwhile, Ensign plans to keep his assignments on the Armed Services; Budget; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Veterans Affairs; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees. Ensign is chairman of the Armed Services subcommittee on readiness and management, which handles complex and sometimes controversial issues, including base closures and environmental requirements for military training grounds.

Nevada's four other lawmakers in Congress won relatively easy re-elections Tuesday. Now they are preparing for a lame-duck session later this month and making plans for a new session that begins in January.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., told the Sun he was focused on the new session, saying it was too early to consider a bid for governor in 2006.

Gibbons plans to keep his seats on the Armed Services; Resources; and Homeland Security panels. He hopes to be tapped by party leaders to be chairman of the Resources subcommittee on energy and minerals, which may tackle mining law reform next year.

Gibbons loses one assignment because the Intelligence Committee limits members to eight years.

For his first term in Congress, Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., was assigned to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Education and Workforce Committee.

Porter still wants a spot on the Ways and Means Committee, a popular panel because it crafts tax policy. Gaming industry leaders have long wanted a Nevada lawmaker on the panel who can represent them as lawmakers weigh tax issues that would affect casino hotel profits. Nevada's last representative on the panel was Ensign, who served in the House until 1998.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has unsuccessfully lobbied for a spot on the Ways and Means panel in past years.

But Berkley said that if it were possible to get a seat on the committee this year, she would have to give it careful thought because it may mean giving up one of her current assignments.

"I would have to weigh the consequences," she said.

Berkley is "thrilled" with her assignments because the posts help her represent her constituents, she said. She is earning seniority on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; the Veterans Affairs Committee; and International Relations Committee.