Two local lawmakers will see plenty of new faces as they return
to office following Tuesday’s general election.

On the federal level, U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., will face
a House now controlled by the Democratic Party. That could also
hold true in the state House as well, where Rep. Martin Causer,
R-Turtlepoint, is one contested race away from being in the
minority for the first time since 1994 – in large measure a result
of the controversial legislative pay raises.

“There’s definitely going to be a lot of changes,” Causer said
Thursday, adding coupling the results from both the primary and
general elections, 50 new members from both parties – or a quarter
of those elected – will be coming into the House when lawmakers
return to session.

That means a chance for more seniority – a key element in
getting local issues more visibility.

“All the new members coming in helps me a great deal,” Causer
said. “In Harrisburg, seniority means a lot; everything from where
you park to where you sit on the House floor to the selection of
committees you want to serve on.

“The seniority can only benefit our district and put you closer
to committee chairman and potential leadership spots.”

Causer, who ran unopposed, currently sits on the House
Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environmental Resources and Energy,
Game and Fisheries and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness
committees, kept his cards close to the vest when asked which
committees he would like to sit on next term.

“There are a lot of committees I’m looking at,” Causer said.
“This is the most new members to come in since the 1970s. To get
that kind of jump certainly helps a great deal.”

All of that, however, centers on what happens in Chester County,
where Democrat Barbara McIllvaine Smith held a 19-vote lead over
Republican Shannon Royer, with absentee ballots still being
counted.

As it stands, Republicans hold a slim 102-101 lead.

“It’s very important for us to hold the majority, because the
majority party does the calendar and decides what bills come up for
a vote,” Causer said. “Certainly, if the Democrats are in control
they may choose not to run any Republican bills. Although if that
happens, I hope they take into consideration that we’ve run
Democratic bills.”

The lawmaker said there are procedural ways to get bills brought
up regardless, but the majority has a say in the committee
actions.

In Washington, Peterson will return to a Congress with a
distinctively different feel and look.

There, Peterson will be able to retain his important seat on the
House Appropriations Committee as well as co-chairmanship of the
Congressional Rural Caucus, according to his Communications
Director Chris Tucker.

“With so many new folks coming in, and just as many old folks
going out, committee assignments are bound to change,” Tucker said,
adding others may not be so lucky in retaining their committee
seats. “We’ll know for sure once leadership elections are held
(likely after Thanksgiving) and the steering committee sits down
and decides who’s going where.”

According to Tucker, such prized legislation as the Essential
Air Service program – which Bradford Regional Airport is under – is
an issue that “transcends party politics and identification.”

“The Essential Air Service program is one the congressman has
worked to defend during both Republican and Democratic
administrations, with great success. Because of that, we’ve done
plenty of work with Democrats in the past – especially when it came
time to coordinate a strategy to save the program. It’s an issue on
which rural Americans stand shoulder-to-shoulder, and I don’t
expect that unanimity to be eroded by a mid-term election.”

That doesn’t mean Peterson didn’t experience the loss of
colleagues in the Pennsylvania delegation.

“You stay in this business long enough, and you’re bound to lose
some close friends and colleagues to electoral defeat,” Tucker
said. “But the loss of Congressman (Don) Sherwood in the eastern
part of the state and Congresswoman Melissa Hart in the southwest,
represents a huge loss for rural Americans across the country.

“Here are two folks that understood and closely identified with
the issues that mattered most to us – job creation, technical
education, health care access, reasonable energy prices.”

For his part, Causer said the national attitude of the elections
was one of the factors leading to, at the very least, a tightening
in the state Legislature.

“Our ability to hold our majority (as of Thursday) shows that in
Pennsylvania we still have strong support. It shows that we have
done good things over the past couple of years.”

Causer said he hasn’t had a chance to meet any of the incoming
lawmakers, adding “obviously anybody that comes to Harrisburg has
an agenda. We’ll certainly see what they bring with them to the
table.”