Monday, December 08, 2008 Capitol
Hill Watch
Sen. Edward Kennedy To Step Down From Seat on
Senate Judiciary Committee To Focus on Health Care
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) announced
Friday that he will step down from his seat on the Senate Judiciary
Committee in the 111th Congress to concentrate on health care reform,
CQ HealthBeat reports. "As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions Committee, I expect to lead a very full agenda in the
next Congress, including working with [President-elect] Obama to guarantee
affordable health care, at long last, for every American," Kennedy said. A
top aide said health care overhaul will be "priority one, two and three"
for Kennedy.
CQ HealthBeat reports that Kennedy has
been coordinating with the Obama team on potential health care reform
plans and has worked with other Democrats, such as Senate Finance Committee
Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.). According to CQ HealthBeat,
Kennedy and Baucus are planning to introduce health care overhaul
legislation early in the 111th Congress, either separately or under a "one
bill" approach pushed by Kennedy.
Kennedy currently is chair of the
Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border
Security. According to an aide, Kennedy will keep his seat on the Senate Armed Services
Committee and will continue to be chair of its Seapower subcommittee
(Armstrong/Perine, CQ HealthBeat, 12/5). The Boston
Globe's "Political Intelligence" blog reports that Kennedy's action
honors a request made last month by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-Nev.) for Democratic caucus members to relinquish some of their
committee assignments to allow for opportunities for the eight new
Democrats elected to the Senate (Smith, "Political Intelligence,"
Boston Globe, 12/5).
Kennedy expects to return to the
Senate full-time in January after an absence following his diagnosis of
brain cancer in May (CQ HealthBeat, 12/5). A Judiciary
Committee spokesperson said it is too early to know who will replace
Kennedy on the committee (Friedman, CongressDaily, 12/5).