Metcalfe changes committees

The Pennsylvania Legislature is built largely on seniority. The longer a lawmaker stays in office, the juicier their committee assignments. If lawmakers stick around long enough, they get to lead those committees for their respective Republican and Democratic caucuses.

Last week, House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, announced the names of the GOP lawmakers he selected to chair the committees for the 2019-20 legislative session.

No Republican representative from Lehigh or Northampton counties made the cut. They lack longevity.

The most significant committee change Turzai made was moving Rep. Daryle Metcalfe, R-Butler, from head of State Government Committee to Environmental Resources and Energy, which handles gas drilling, mining and nature.

Metcalfe is a fiscal and social conservative who likes to bask in political limelight by goading Democrats with his words and actions.

For instance, in 2017 he chided a Democrat for touching his arm during a public hearing, saying he likes women, not men. Last year, he boasted that he would never run a Democratic-sponsored bill through the State Government Committee. And at various points last year, he had armed police stationed inside his Capitol office to handle the hordes of protesters angry at his handling of various bills about voting issues.

The political drama around Metcalfe often turned into a circus sideshow for the GOP and chamber.

By putting Metcalfe on the environment committee, Turzai showed political shrewdness.

Metcalfe really wanted to lead the Judiciary Committee, which handles hotbutton issues involving firearms and criminal justice bills. By keeping Metcalfe off Judiciary, Turzai ensured Judiciary’s hot button issues are not made unnecessarily hotter for his caucus or chamber.