Word coming down on House appointments. Appropriations skips over experienced members.

Just getting word that some House appointments are being made – and first out of the gate is Appropriations, which seems to be passing over some experienced members.

House Appropriations Chair Chris Karr.  Vice Chair, Taffy Howard. 

On the Committee: Tina Mulally, Liz May, Steve Haugaard, John Mills, Randy Gross, Mary Fitzgerald, & Linda Duba.

Who was passed over for Appropriations who had significant prior experience on the panel? Larry Tidemann, Hugh Bartels, David Anderson, & Dean Wink

Stay tuned for more to come.

18 thoughts on “Word coming down on House appointments. Appropriations skips over experienced members.”

  1. Not a good start at all for the new Speaker. Trying to show how powerful you are by making extraordinarily dumb decisions right out of the gate will do nothing but leave him a legacy much like Haugaard’s… unfit for leadership.

    1. Haugaard, Gosch and Karr all supported Noem in the primary against Jackley and in the general against Sutton.

      They are not anti Governor Noem in the slightest. They are not meant to be rubber stamps. They are not meant to be at conflict with her all the time. Everyone is supposed to work through their differences for the greater good.

      I have no problem with what Gosch is doing. He is putting his allies on appropriations. Haugaard should have done this also.

      Schoenbeck also should put his allies in charge. These guys are only entitled to 1 or 2 years.in leadership. They should be allowed to have their vision play out.

  2. Finally a group of people that aren’t push overs. The fake conservatives that run the budget for the governor won’t be able to push around appropriators this session! Taffy Howard is one of the strongest conservatives in the legislature and will do an awesome job along with Karr.

  3. If you are on Appropriations no one will see you the whole session; Approps is a lot of work –many long days and into the night–also a good way for new members to learn a lot about government as everyone has to go there eventually.

  4. Gosch put all of the [what is the term Schoenbeck likes to use . . . crazies?] together in Appropriations to segregate them from the policy-making committees. Gosch believes the administration will have its way with budgetary issues like it always does. Karr is weak, and Taffy is all bluster but without substance. The Senate is strong and unified with Schoenbeck at the helm.

    Look for a stormy two years in the House with liberal-leaning Kent Peterson serving as Majority Leader while all the Whips, Speaker and Pro-Tem maintain more right-leaning beliefs. To the extent the Speaker caves to the demands of the Leader, there will be the appearance of peace and unity. To the extent he doesn’t, there will again be division and dysfunction.

  5. Appropriations needs work horses. I have no information on which these are but it will define whether the House is relevant or not.

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