WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans finished their committee assignments for the 110th Congress on Wednesday, but if an illness that struck Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., forces him to resign, the balance of power in the Senate could shift back to the Republicans.

Incoming Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., released committee assignments Wednesday, although they still need to be approved by the entire Senate Republican Caucus.

Johnson became ill and was hospitalized Wednesday night, but his office said the senator did not suffer a stroke or heart attack.

If he were to resign, it might shift the partisan power back to a 50-50 tie, giving Vice President Dick Cheney — who is president of the Senate — the tie breaking vote, which would make the Republicans the majority party again. Democrats now have 51-49 majority based on the November election results, but South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds who would appoint any temporary replacement for Johnson, is a Republican, and there are no laws mandating the appointment of someone of the same party to the seat.

If the Democrats stay in control and the Republicans are the minority, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, will remain on the same Senate committees: Finance; Judiciary; Intelligence; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, also known as HELP.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, will be the top Republican on the Senate Rules Committee. Bennett will remain a member of the Appropriations Committee, where he is likely to be the top Republican on a subcommittee to be determined in January. He will also have a seat on the Banking Committee and the Joint Economic Committee.

Hatch was grateful he was able to stay on all four committees, especially because the Republicans now have fewer seats on each. "It was important to me to stay on all four committees," he said. "Each one is critical to Utah."

He has been on the Judiciary Committee for 30 years and will help with Bush's judicial nominations. His seniority on the Senate Finance Committee will allow him to work on the final stages of tax bills, including energy- and transportation-related legislation.

Dietary-supplement issues and education policies such as No Child Left Behind come before the HELP committee, and the Intelligence Committee allows him to work on the war on terror.

Meanwhile, Bennett said his spot on the Rules Committee "provides a unique opportunity to not only work on legislative reform like lobbying and campaign finance but also issues important to help the Senate, as an institution, run smoothly." Lobbying reform will be a top issue in the 110th Congress.

In addition to his committee assignments, Bennett also serves as a counsel to McConnell on the Republican Leadership team. Bennett will advise the leader on legislative strategy and policy, help set the Senate Republican agenda and attend all leadership meetings, according to his office.

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Contributing: Associated Press

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