11.   Delaying the election of a speaker might prevent members from being sworn in and the distribution of committee assignments.

12.   Democratic leaders praise her and have rewarded her with plum committee assignments.

13.   Democrats also began intense jockeying for influential committee assignments.

14.   Dunn also has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for fellow GOP House candidates, and worked to secure coveted committee assignments.

15.   Few members lobby for this committee assignment.

16.   For example, in recent years, the leadership of both parties has sought to give all new senators at least one committee assignment of their choice.

17.   Freshmen senators will be temporarily without committee assignments.

18.   Gorton was recently given the official title of chairman of the Committee on Committees, which coordinates the doling out of committee assignments.

19.   He assured the lawmakers that no state had been better looked after when he made committee assignments.

20.   He accused Jeffords of defecting because he wanted a better committee assignment and knew the Republican hold on the Senate was fragile.