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Attachment C <br />Federal Legislative Update <br />A Preview of the 111th Congress <br />The numbers <br />House of Representatives: Democrats 256/Republicans 176 <br />• IL-4 open seat, special election - Rahm Emanuel <br />Senate: Dems 58(includes 2 Independents)/GOP 41 <br />• MN race still outstanding but Dems with 58 seats effectively can govern with 60+ votes <br />with GOP moderates <br />Calendar <br />• 111 ~' Congress convenes January 6, swearing in day <br />• Congress will remain in session through Inauguration Day and until Presidents Day <br />recess in mid-February <br />Leadership <br />No major changes: Speaker Pelosi/Majority Leader Reid; GOP House leader <br />Boehner/Senate Minority Leader McConnell <br />Most changes in ranks of House Republicans (spots 2-5) <br />California clout -- Speaker Pelosi remains ambitious and aggressive, and has solidified <br />her power: helped orchestrate the ouster of longtime Energy Committee Chairman John <br />Dingell in favor of Californian Henry Waxman <br />The committees - energylenvironment and taz <br />• Biggest change is in House Energy and Commerce Committee and takeover of new chair <br />Waxman: smart, aggressive, environmentally-driven, but seen as divisive and partisan; <br />knows public power through LADWP (Southern CA district) <br />• Believes in subcommittee structure but wields a heavy gavel <br />• Subcommittee chairs still not named: possible restructuring of panels; Rick Boucher <br />(VA) may lose energy and air quality chair to Ed Markey (MA) <br />• Committee has named 8 new Dem members and current ratio of 31-26 could change to <br />36 Dems - 23 GOP seats <br />• Markey remains chairman of Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global <br />Warming (reappointed by Speaker) <br />• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chair remains Jeff Bingaman (NM) - <br />aims for major energy legislation in early 2009; new ranking GOP Lisa Murkowski of <br />AK <br />