EMERSON IS EYING COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

Republican Jo Ann Emerson has a leg up in seniority over some 70 other new House members.

The newly elected 8th District congresswoman from Cape Girardeau said Thursday she hopes to get seats on the agriculture and transportation committees.

Emerson requested the assignments in a telephone call Wednesday to House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Her late husband, Bill Emerson, was a senior member of the agriculture committee. Agriculture is the district's top industry.

Jo Ann Emerson said she wants to serve on the transportation committee to ensure continued funding for road, bridge and levee projects in the 8th District.

"Some people don't think it is very interesting, but I love to talk about highways, bridges and ports," she said.

She said a post on the transportation committee is important with Congress expected to write a new federal highway bill next spring.

Jo Ann Emerson succeeds her late husband, who represented the Southeast Missouri district for 16 years.

She was elected Tuesday in a special election to fill the seat that has been vacant since Bill Emerson died in June. She also won the general election for a full, two-year term, which begins in January.

Her immediate status as a member of Congress will give her seniority over the other freshmen lawmakers who won't take office until the 105th Congress convenes in January.

As a result, she will have an advantage in choosing committee assignments and picking office space.

She reopened her district offices Thursday and rehired much of her late husband's staff. She said Lloyd Smith would continue to serve as her chief of staff, based in Cape Girardeau.

The offices in Cape Girardeau, Rolla and Washington were closed at 5 p.m. Monday in advance of Tuesday's election as required by House rules. The offices couldn't reopen until after the election.

"I just thought it was critical that we not miss a beat," she said in a telephone conference call to reporters and editors Thursday.

Emerson spoke to the news media from her Cape Girardeau office in the Federal Building.

She said she plans to open a district office in St. Francois County as soon as possible.

She said a district office is needed in St. Francois County to serve the northern end of the sprawling district, which is one of the region's fastest growing areas.

Emerson won't be sworn in until January because Congress is adjourned until then.

She will be sworn in twice -- first for the unexpired term, which will have just ended, and second for the full term.

Emerson plans to set up a senior citizens advisory group so she can keep abreast of the concerns of the district's elderly residents.

She said the nation needs a bipartisan commission to find a way to preserve funding for Medicare and keep the program from going bankrupt.

Both Republicans and Democrats have talked about setting up a commission. She said Bob Dole would be a good choice to head the commission.

Emerson predicted more cooperation between the Republican-led Congress and President Clinton in the next four years to address the nation's problems.

"I don't think the new members of Congress seem to be as partisan as did the last Congress," she said.

Emerson has spent most of her life in the Washington area. But she said she often accompanied Bill Emerson when he visited the district. She has a home in Cape Girardeau.

She said she knows the district well and plans to return frequently.

"I've been here tons," she said. "I'm still going to be here a lot in my new job."