ST. PAUL -- Steve Sviggum, a 15-term lawmaker and former Minnesota House speaker, has been appointed to lead the state Department of Labor and Industry, Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Tuesday.
Sviggum will take over as the agency's commissioner July 17, stepping away from the Legislature after 28 years in which he became among the state's most influential political leaders.
In his new post, Sviggum will lead a 500-employee department charged with overseeing the state worker's compensation system and workplace safety efforts as well as regulating construction codes and licensing.
Pawlenty, a fellow Republican and Sviggum ally, said the Kenyon lawmaker's philosophy "has always revolved around balance and I know he'll bring that to [the department]."
"Minnesota's workers and businesses rely on the Department of Labor and Industry as a trusted resource and regulator," Pawlenty said in a statement. "Steve is known for his ability to work with and listen to people on all sides of an issue."
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Sviggum said he looks forward to "this next challenge in my public service career."
"Enhancing jobs and furthering the health, safety and protection of Minnesota's workers and employers is an important task and I'll tackle it with energy and fairness," he said in a prepared statement.
Sviggum was traveling Tuesday and did not immediately return a call for comment.
A farmer and former teacher, Sviggum was first elected to the House in 1978, and in 1985 and 1986 led an unemployment insurance and workers compensation committee. He served as a House minority leader and, when Republicans took control of the House after the 1998 election, he was elected speaker.
Democrats regained the majority in the 2006 election, pushing Sviggum out of the powerful speaker's chair and into a seat in the back of the House chamber.
Veteran DFL Rep. Loren Solberg of Grand Rapids said Sviggum's promotion is a good fit.
"He's been a loyal soldier for the governor," Solberg said. "I didn't agree with him obviously, but I think he deserves that particular position and, quite frankly, I think he may do a good job."
In an April interview with Forum Communications, Sviggum pledged to serve out the remainder of his two-year legislative term, which expires in 2008. However, he also said he was "not closing any doors."
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Also in April, Sviggum was named a senior fellow in the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs.
The cabinet-level appointment will prompt a special election to fill Sviggum's southeastern Minnesota legislative seat. By law, Pawlenty must call for a special election to occur before the next regular legislative session, which begins Feb. 12, 2008, or before a special session, if one were to be held.
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said "we expect a special election would be held in about a month."
"There's always a possibility that a special session may be called," McClung said, adding the governor will announce the election date later this week.
House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said he believes Sviggum's successor will be similar to the longtime representative.
"I'm confident the district will send someone with the common sense that Rep. Sviggum has in terms of representing the district," Seifert said.
Scott Wente works for Forum Communications Co., which owns the News Tribune.
