John DeFrancisco Will Be Ranking Republican on Senate Finance

ALBANY—State Senator John DeFrancisco, who until this year chaired the chamber's Judiciary Committee, will now serve as the ranking member on the Finance Committee, a Senate source confirmed.

A longtime Capitol observer in the audience at this morning's budget hearings pointed out that John DeFrancisco was the Republican sitting closest to the center, next to State Senator Liz Krueger, the Democratic vice chair of Senate Finance.

The observer said a re-jiggering of ranking members on various committees is in the works. The Republican scion of the Finance Committee was Owen Johnson, an 80-year-old Long Islander.

It has been widely speculated that with Republicans now relegated to the chamber's minority, some older senators may retire.

Johnson told the Times last year that he will stay in office "till the Lord calls you away, I guess."