Coughlin shuffles committees as Legislature gears up

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin has shifted the Democratic majority on the powerful Assembly Budget Committee from 10-5 to 11-4 after Republicans lost five seats in last year’s election.

Coughlin added Democrats Al Abdelaziz (D-Paterson) and Avi Schnall (D-Lakewood) to the panel, along with Republican Michael Inganamort (R-Chester).

Democrat Yvonne Lopez (D-Perth Amboy) and Republican Aura Dunn (R-Mendham) did not seek a return to the Budget Committee, and Nancy Muñoz (R-Summit) was defeated in her bid for re-election.

Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Newark) returns for her ninth year as Budget Committee chair. Brian Rumpf (R-Little Egg Harbor) replaces Muñoz as the Republican Budget Officer.

Coughlin increased the size of the Assembly Appropriations Committee from 11 members to 15 by adding four additional Democratic seats. David Bailey (D-Woodstown), Linda Carter (D-Plainfield), Carmen Morales (D-Belleville), Balvir Singh (D-Burlington), and Kenyatta Stewart (D-Paterson) are new members of the panel; one Democrat, Shama Haider (D-Tenafly), did not seek reappointment. Lisa Swain (D-Fair Lawn) remains as chair.

Many committees remain with six or seven members, with Democratic control at 4-2 and 5-2 in those committees.

Roy Freiman (D-Hillsborough) was tapped for a second term as chairman of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee; the committee grew by one, from 13 members to 14. Michael Venezia (D-Bloomfield), Ed Rodriguez (D-Elizabeth), Heather Simmons (D-Glassboro), and Balvir Singh (D-Burlington) joined the committee. 

The Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee will tie the Budget and Appropriations committees in size, growing from 13 to 15 members; Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park) remains chair, and Democrats hold the committee 10-5. 

In a year when utility and electric prices are expected to garner much attention, the size of the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee will grow from eight members to 10. Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton) will remain chair, and Democratic control will grow from 5-3 to 7-3. 

With the creation of an Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, the Commerce and Economic Development Committee no longer holds agriculture under its umbrella. As such, the Commerce committee has shrunk in size from 12 members to seven, and Democrats control the committee 5-2. 

The new Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will feature Chairwoman Andrea Katz (D-Chesterfield), Heather Simmons (D-Glassboro), James Kennedy (D-Rahway), Marisa Sweeney (D-Morristown), Dawn Fantasia (R-Franklin), and Alex Sauickie (R-Jackson).

The Community Development and Women’s Affairs Committee grew from six members to eight. Assemblywoman Tenille McCoy (D-Hamilton) will chair the committee. The Consumer Affairs Committee grew from six members to seven. The Education Committee shrank from nine members to seven. 

The Health Committee grew from 11 members to 12 members, and Democrats will control the panel 9-3 with Chairwoman Carol Murphy (D-Mount Laurel). Assemblymembers Al Abdelaziz (D-Paterson), Anthony Angelozzi (D-Hammonton), Gabriel Rodriguez (D-West New York), Kenyatta Stewart (D-Paterson), and Marisa Sweeney (D-Morristown) join the committee as new members. 

The new Health Infrastructure Committee will hold six members, with Sterley Stanley (D-East Brunswick) as chair and Shanique Speight (D-Newark) as vice chair. The committee will also include Tennille McCoy (D-Hamilton), Heather Simmons (D-Glassboro), John Azzariti (R-Saddle River), and Christopher DePhillips (R-Wyckoff). 

Coughlin decreased the Labor Committee from 12 members to 10; Democrats hold the committee 7-3 under Chair Anthony Verrelli (D-Hopewell Twp.). The Public Safety and Preparedness Committee will shrink from nine to seven members; Joe Danielsen (D-Franklin) will remain chair.

Assemblywoman Melinda Kane (D-Cherry Hill), a Gold Star Mother, will become vice chair of the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee — she’s taking over the role from DeAngelo. 

You can find the full committee assignments for freshmen here.