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Knopp assigned to House Finance Committee

  The Alaska State House majority announced committee assignments Tuesday, and Kenai Rep. Gary Knopp was given a seat on the powerful Finance Committee, but on no others. However, that isn't unusual for members on Finance to only serve on that committee, one with a sizable workload.

In all, the House Majority Coalition leadership only has one declared Democrat, five Republicans, and one Independent, the House Speaker, Bryce Edgmon. Steve Thompson, a Fairbanks Republican, is the Majority Leader, Anchorage Republican Chuck Kopp (a former City of Kenai police chief) is the Rules Committee chair and Kodiak Republican Louise Stutes is Majority Whip.

The others include co-chairs of Finance, Neal Foster, a Nome Democrat, and Tammie Wilson, a North Pole Republican, who joined the majority coalition this year, as well as Anchorage Republican Jennifer Johnston as Finance vice-chair.

Though Republicans dominate the coalition leadership, all but two committees are co-chaired exclusively by Democrats. Stutes, and Anchorage Republican Gabrielle LeDoux chair their own committees, Fisheries for Stutes, and Military and Veterans Affairs for LeDoux, and both serve as co-chairs to others, Transportation for Stutes and Labor and Commerce for LeDoux.

The delay in making committee assignments stems from the stalemate the House found itself in when a majority could not be formed by any party alone.

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