As lawmakers began to reorganize for the new Congress, it appeared likely that no Pennsylvanian would be wielding either a committee or a subcommittee gavel for any of the three major House panels.

That picture offers a sharp contrast from the state's position as recently as the late 1990s, when it had one of the most powerful delegations in the country. In those years, after the Republicans' 1994 takeover of the House, Rep. Bud Shuster, R-Everett, chaired the full Transportation Committee; Rep. Bill Goodling, R-York, chaired the Education Committee; Rep. Robert Walker, R-Lancaster County, chaired the committee on science and technology; and Rep. Joseph McDade, R-Scranton, was the second-ranking member of the Republican majority on the Appropriations Committee. At the same time, Rep. William Coyne, D-Oakland, was the ranking minority member of a key subcommittee of Ways and Means.

It's also worth checking out the AP's giant story on the arrest records of state lawmakers -- Pittsburghers will recognize the names Wheatley, Ferlo, Orie, DeWeese, Veon, Preston, Habay, Levdansky and Wozniak.