
	Chris Mulick has worked for the Herald since 1998 and has served as the statehouse correspondent covering state government and politics since 2000. He works year-round out of the Herald's Olympia bureau on the state Capitol campus. Have a question? Send Chris an e-mail and he'll answer the best questions regularly.

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Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2008

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Rep. Haler takes on Rep. Crouse, loses

State Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, is no longer serving on the House Technology, Energy and Communications Committee, a development that is of marginal consequence given Republicans’ minority status. But it’s how he lost it that is worth noting.

Apparently Haler sought to be named House Republicans’ ranking member on the committee. And that’s a job that soft spoken Rep. Larry Crouse, R-Spokane Valley, has occupied dating way back to when Republicans actually were in the majority and Crouse was wielding a gavel in committee meetings.

Apparently, House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, had other ideas than demoting Crouse.

“I wanted to move up to the ranking,” Haler told the Herald editorial board last week. “He wasn’t going to remove Larry Crouse.”

Long story short, Haler is now the ranking minority member of the Early Learning and Children’s Services Committee.

But he plans on being back on the energy committee come January.

“I will be going back,” he said.

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