Because of congressional rules, ScienceInsider reports that a number of new faces will be taking on leadership roles within the House of Representatives' science committee.
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, which is to have its first meeting tomorrow, has selected Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D–TX) as its chair, it adds. Johnson previously served as the committee's ranking member when the House was under Republican control.
But the subcommittee chairs will largely be new to Congress, according to ScienceInsider. Newly elected Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), for instance, was chosen to lead to the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, while Haley Stevens (D–MI) will chair the research subcommittee. It notes that congressional regulations don't allow members to hold multiple committee chair or subcommittee chair positions and that members of some leading committees cannot even join other committees without a waiver. As the science committee doesn't lend itself to fundraising, ScienceInsider notes there were few veterans available.