Washington, D.C., bustled Tuesday as senators, representatives and constituents welcomed the 108th Congress to Capitol Hill.
This session marks a step forward for N.C. politics as Republican Elizabeth Dole became the state's first female senator. "It's a milestone," said Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC's Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life, noting that about a dozen women now hold seats in the Senate. "It's another sign that the U.S. Congress is not a white male bastion."
But Guillory said Dole's actions will prove to be more important than her gender. Dole was appointed to the committees of Armed Services, Banking and Agriculture, according to Associated Press reports.
Guillory said all these committees are relevant to North Carolina's economy.
Dole's election also helped secure a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, which was lost when Vermont Sen. James Jeffords left the Republican party in 2001 to become an Independent.
Dole is taking the seat of longtime Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., well-known for his conservatism. "I don't see Jesse Helms' departure as having a negative impact on North Carolina," Guillory said, noting that Dole and John Edwards, D-N.C., plan to continue support for many of Helms' issues. Edwards, who is seeking the 2004 Democratic nomination for president, is on five Senate committees.
From his post on the Intelligence Committee, Edwards plans to propose a bill to create an independent agency for intelligence similar to Britain's MI5.
Edwards is hailing the bill as his response to the Bush administration's approach to homeland security, which the presidential hopeful claims is too weak.
In addition to the Intelligence Committee, Edwards will be on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee; the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Judiciary Committee; and the Small Business Committee.
N.C. delegates in Congress' other chamber celebrated the session's convening with families and supporters. "We had a busload of about 50 constituents come up," said Roger France, press secretary for Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C. France said the group had a luncheon at the Library of Congress and visited the Chinese Embassy to celebrate Taylor's seventh term. Taylor is a member of the Appropriations Committee and the incoming chairman of the Interior Subcommittee.
Democrat David Price, Orange County's representative in Congress, joins Taylor on the Appropriations Committee. From that coveted post, Price is well-positioned to serve the state's needs, Guillory said. He added that committee appointments, which will be finalized near the end of the month, are important for representatives but said the importance can vary with constituencies.
Some returning N.C. delegates, including Republican Cass Ballenger, say they have worked to secure appointments to committees that allow them to propose legislation that directly affects their congressional districts.
Ballenger, the representative from the state's western 10th District, is a senior member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, a member of the International Relations Committee and chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, said Ballenger's press secretary, Drew Lyman.
Freshman Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., has not been assigned to committees yet, but his press secretary, Joe Bonfiglio, said his main interests lie in the Financial Services Committee and Science Committee.
As the 108th Congress progresses, new voices of experience soon will mingle with the old, Guillory said. "We've got some new congressmen; we've got some fresh blood and fresh perspectives."
The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.
