House Science Chairman Walker to Retire

Last Friday afternoon, House Science Committee Chairman Bob Walker (R-PA) announced his intention to retire at the end of this Congress (one year from now.) In making this surprise announcement, Walker said, “It is time for me to step aside and allow someone else to take on the challenge of serving this district in the Congress. Since the first Continental Congress 220 years ago, the Pennsylvania Dutch seat has established a proud tradition. A part of that tradition is that no one has ever held the seat for more than twenty years.” He later added, “In case there’s any rumor, I’m in excellent political and physical health.”

Walker has enjoyed great support at the polls since he was elected to Congress in 1976. In that election, and every election since then, he has won with at least 62% of the vote -- and often more than that.

Until Republicans took control of Congress this year, Walker was most often identified as one of the G.O.P.'s primary tacticians on the House floor. He repeatedly, and vigorously, spoke out against the Democrat’s approach to passing legislation. Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) calls Walker his “closest personal friend in the House.”

Since Walker became chairman of the House Science Committee this year, it has changed in both temperament and approach. The committee’s friendly and bipartisan atmosphere has waxed and waned, with the level of tension between Republicans and Democrats sometimes reaching the breaking point. This was especially evident in late June, when the full committee marked up the Department of Energy Civilian R&D Authorization Act. Walker’s decision on the timing of a committee roll call vote during a House floor vote caused an uproar, as did his later actions against a committee Democrat who attempted to shift funding. The committee, after this dispute spilled over to the House floor, seems to have mellowed (see FYI #86.)

Walker has made the committee much more relevant to the over-all legislative process. His committee has successfully pushed omnibus legislation through the House to authorize science and technology programs under the committee’s jurisdiction (see FYIs #137-140, 143, 144, 150, 151.) Although criticisms have been leveled at the manner in which this was done, the fact remains that the House Science Committee has a much stronger voice in the process.

One area in which Walker has not been as successful has been combining various science and technology departments and agencies into a single Department of Science. Although he has supported such legislation in the past, and tried to advance it in this Congress, his idea was not adopted this year -- in fact, no hearings have been held on it. With his decision to retire next year, some of the impetus behind this proposal will diminish.

So who might become chairman of the House Science Committee in 1997? IF top-ranking committee Republicans and Democrats all return to the 105th Congress, and IF the 105th leadership does not ignore seniority (as it did this year), the committee’s highest Ranking Republicans who could move into this seat are, in order of seniority: Jim Sensenbrenner, Jr. (WI), Sherwood Boehlert (NY), Harris Fawell (IL), and Constance Morella (MD). Sensenbrenner and Morella are currently subcommittee chairs, as are Steven Schiff (NM) and Dana Rohrabacher (CA). The committee’s four highest-ranking Democrats are George Brown (CA) (who would certainly regain the chairmanship if the Democrats control the House), Ralph Hall (TX), James Traficant (OH), and John Tanner (LA).

Walker will still be in firm control of the House Science Committee next year, setting the committee’s agenda, schedule, and legislation. But his power and influence will diminish, by as yet an unknown degree.