COMMITTEES CHANGE OVER TIME


Committee names change over time . . .
'Hospitals for the Insane,' 'School for Defectives?'


Twenty-two committees, from Agriculture to Ways and Means, will
keep members of the House of Representatives hopping this
session.

The House, however, hasn't always had that many committees and
they haven't always been called the same. Committees, like the
state as a whole, have undergone a dramatic transformation over
time.

That's not surprising when you consider that committees form the
heart of the Legislature, which is really a reflection of
society. But like many gradual changes, the transformation
sometimes goes unnoticed.

A hundred years ago, for example, legislators divided their time
between a number of committees, including one devoted entirely to
"Binding Twine and Fiber and Fibrous Plants." 

Others panels that met in 1891 included committees on Hospitals
for the Insane, Temperance Legislation, School for Defectives,
Logs and Lumber, and Immigration. These committees, as has the
one on fibrous plants, have been eliminated as the fabric of the
state has changed.

The lumber industry in Minnesota is no longer as extensive as it
was in the first half of the century and therefore doesn't raise
as many issues as it once did.

Binding twine, whose manufacturers once included the old state
prison in Stillwater, is no longer a big business in the state.
And although immigration to Minnesota continues, it isn't as
brisk as it was at the turn of the century when thousands of
foreigners flocked to the state.

And here's an interesting fact for those who complain about the
growth of government. The number of standing committees meeting
today in the House is actually less than half -- 22 vs. 46 -- the
number that met 100 years ago

But, often, by the time you tally up the number and names of
committees and subcommittees and divisions, the bottom line is
pretty much the same. 

In 1972, for example, the Liberal-controlled Senate made news by
slashing the number of committees from 21 in the 1971 Session to
13 in the 1973 Session. That didn't necessarily simplify the
legislative process because the Senate still had 36
subcommittees.

Just 10 years ago in the House, there were only 17 committees.
But then Commerce, Economic Development, and Housing -- separate
committees this session -- were grouped into one committee.
Criminal Justice, however, was its own committee, while this
session it remains a division of the Judiciary Committee.

In 1965, the standing committees of the House numbered 33 and
included such titles as Cities of the First and Second Class,
Drainage and Soil Conservation, Forestry and Public Domain, State
and Junior Colleges, Temperance and Liquor Control, and
University.

House and Senate rules, besides spelling out what standing
committees will meet during a session, also allow for special
committees. These committees might tackle sensitive
investigations of government affairs or deal with rising social
issues. 

While in the past a committee's name might have made unclear the
panel's purpose, sometimes there's no doubt. Take, for example,
this special Senate committee set up during the 1937 session: "To
Determine if 75 percent of Trunk Highway System is Completed."

--Andris Straumanis



Originally published in 1991 in the Session Weekly, a weekly
newsmagazine published by the Minnesota House Public Information
Office.

***Last Update 8/5/94 (jtt) Last Review 8/5/94 (jtt) ***