LOOKING IN ON: WASHINGTON

Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007 | 7:34 a.m.

WASHINGTON - After playing supporting roles for years in the minority party, Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley emerged as the woman to know on the morning of the opening of the 110th Congress.

She stood with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on one side and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on the other as about 100 invited guests looked on at her Capitol Hill townhouse.

The event was billed as a breakfast in honor of Reid's rise to the top position in the Senate. But the hostess had her own 15 minutes.

Reid said a few words, then praised the congresswoman as his partner in Congress, where the two Democrats worked side by side while their party was in the minority.

Almost on cue, Hoyer came bounding in. The Maryland Democrat offered his praise for his faithful friend who stood by his side before he made it big, according to those who were there.

Berkley had suffered politically for her decision to support Hoyer in 2002, during his failed bid to become minority leader over Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Only recently have tensions between Berkley and Pelosi eased.

Berkley spokeswoman David Cherry said it was a momentous start to a historic day. "It was a great moment for her," he said.

Democrat Rep. Shelley Berkley and Nevada Republican Rep. Jon Porter landed coveted seats on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in the new Congress, which has been widely seen as boosting the influence of an otherwise small state.

Nevada now has two sets of eyes looking at virtually every piece of legislation that deals with raising taxes or spending money, from gaming or mining regulation on the local level to national issues of Medicare and Social Security benefits.

But being on the committee forced them to give up their positions elsewhere. Both served on Transportation, where they had helped bring back millions of dollars for Nevada. Berkley also sat on Veterans Affairs, where she worked to secure the Southern Nevada veterans facility, and International Relations.

Porter fought against Yucca Mountain from his seat on Government Reform and served on Education and Workforce.

The question arises: Is it worth it for two-thirds of the state's House delegation to concentrate their efforts on Ways and Means?

UNR professor Eric Herzik had been wondering as much and said the short answer is yes. The two will have greater influence over a larger stack of bills that influence vast swaths of Nevadans' lives.

Besides, it's a politically smart move. If either Porter or Berkley had not won such a coveted seat, they would have been criticized in the next election cycle as just another back-bencher, as Congressman-turned-Gov. Jim Gibbons was labeled in 2006.

"So they both did politically the right thing," he said.

An important question is whether they will work together for the benefit of Nevada, as most observers believe they will, or allow their party allegiances to cancel out each other, he said.

The best place to get some face time with Nevada's newest congressman, Dean Heller, just might be on his daily commute.

Heller has been spotted multiple times over the past week on the Washington subway system, which is not a normal place to see your representative. Members of Congress routinely drive a few blocks to get to work.

But there was Heller, coming up from the Metro. And waiting for the train one night after his welcome party.

One day was just a practice run, to see how long it would take from his home in the Virginia suburbs to his office on the Hill. But the others were real. He has been at it ever since his office opened last Wednesday.