Davis steps down as chair of civil service subcommittee

After accepting a seat on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Va., resigned Tuesday as chairwoman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization, according to committee staff members.

Davis made the move this week--without a new subcommittee chairperson in place--because she wanted to take part in hearings on the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the report produced by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. That commission has recommended significant reforms in the intelligence community, including the creation of an intelligence chief to oversee the operations and budgets of 15 different federal agencies. The Bush administration has proposed a smaller, advisory role for the intelligence chief, and congressional committees are hearing testimony and weighing their options for the intelligence overhaul.

"She had to take her seat on select intelligence for the 9/11 hearings," said Chris Connelly, a spokesman for Davis. The prestige and importance of the intelligence committee were factors behind her decision, he added.

The intelligence panel is an "extremely busy committee. Logistically it just wasn't possible to keep the chairwomanship and serve on the intelligence committee," Connelly said. "Looking at her district, where she has several military bases that deal with intelligence issues…it was a good move, something she couldn't pass up."

House Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., is now faced with the responsibility of naming the next subcommittee chairperson, but he is traveling until next week, according to Rob White, a committee spokesman. He said the two lawmakers had spoken recently about the possibility of an intelligence committee appointment.

Although there is not yet any official indication of who might assume the subcommittee leadership, several congressional staffers said they have heard Rep. Ed Schrock, R-Va., mentioned as a candidate.

"At this point, he is the most senior person eligible for a subcommittee slot on that committee," said a congressional staffer who asked not to be named. Schrock is chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Small Business , and "you can't be a chairman on two subcommittees," but there has been "some discussion" of a switch, the staffer noted.

Rep. Jo Ann Davis, meanwhile, has expressed an interest in taking a leave of absence from the House Government Reform Committee while she serves on the intelligence panel. Such a move would allow her to return to the committee in the future without sacrificing her seniority.

"She would like to take a leave of absence," Connelly said. "That's really the leadership's call, but she would like that."