On Monday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee announced that David Cavicke had been promoted to chief counsel for the subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection.

During his nine years on the committee Cavicke has served as the principal counsel for landmark legislation including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the National Securities Market Improvement Act. He has participated in investigations of Freddie Mac and Enron and managed committee oversight and reform of the Securities

and Exchange Commission. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Cavicke served as an associate with the New York law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, and clerked for the Connecticut state Supreme Court. [IMGCAP(1)]

Conrad Hires Five Sioux State Natives. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) announced last week that he had picked up five native North Dakotans to serve in his Hart Senate office. The new additions to Conrad’s staff are Josh Askvig, Mindy Heller, Mary Jo Prouty, Peggie Rice and Aaron Severn.

Askvig joins Conrad’s staff as a legislative correspondent handling issues including banking, judiciary, housing and immigration. In 2002, the Minot native was appointed by North Dakota’s governor to serve on the state Board of Higher Education to give a student’s perspective on academic issues. Askvig, 22, graduated in 2004 from Dickinson State University in Dickinson, N.D., with a degree in political science.

Heller, 23, interned for Conrad as well as fellow North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan (D) before being hired as Conrad’s staff assistant. Heller graduated in May from Minnesota State University with a degree in economics. The Rock Lake native will assist the Senator’s office with mail operations.

Coming aboard as office manager is Prouty. Raised near Cogswell, Prouty will be responsible for assisting the Senator with management of both his D.C. and state staff with duties including administrative and human resources issues. Prouty is a graduate of North Dakota State University.

Rice will take over as legislative assistant for such issues as telecommunications, campaign finance reform, homeland security and other matters before the Senate Judiciary and Banking committees. The Grand Forks, N.D., native has previous Hill experience as an intern with Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) and as a legislative assistant for Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.). In 2002, Rice, 27, joined the public affairs firm PodestaMattoon where she worked on public relations for the AARP and other clients. She is a 1999 graduate of the University of North Dakota.

Severn, 26, rounds out Conrad’s changes as the Senator’s new legislative assistant on issues related to energy, science and the environment. A former research assistant at the nonpartisan Washington think tank Resources for the Future, the Fargo native holds a bachelor’s in political science from Iowa’s Grinnell College and a master’s in public policy from Georgetown University.