With the ballots counted, we’re now looking ahead to the December organization session, where caucuses choose leadership and lawmakers receive their committee assignments for the next two years.
However it shakes out, it has as much affect on policy as the elections. Between retirements and incumbents losing in the primary and general, there are four chairman positions up for grabs in the House and two chairman positions in the Senate.
Each chamber also has committees with huge shake-ups: House Appropriations is losing four of its ten members (including vice chair Darrell Bolz), and House Resources and Conservation is losing six of its 18 members, including chairman Lawerence Denney.
On the Senate side, the Education Committee is down three of its nine members, including chairman John Goedde.
Remember, according to legislative custom, a lawmaker can be on either JFAC, be a chairman, or be in leadership, but can’t be more than one of those things. So depending on who gets moved where, other chairman or JFAC positions could open up.
Considering the new superintendent position and the pending proposals on tiered licensure, whoever ends up in JFAC and Senate Ed has a busy session ahead of them.
We’ll have more on Friday’s Idaho Reports. Tune in, 7 pm on Idaho Public Television.
