As previously reported in The Point, the Independent Democratic Conference in the state Senate has announced plans to disband and realign with the mainline Democrats.

The IDC was a breakaway group of Democrats who joined with Republicans to form a governing coalition in the Senate. Under the agreement, members of the IDC held a number of committee chairmanships and leadership positions.

The senate Republicans, who currently still hold a slim majority in the chamber even without their IDC counterparts, recently announced the following new committee chairs:

• Banks – Sen. Elaine Phillips, R-Long Island;
• Consumer Protection – Sen. Chris Jacobs, R-Erie-Niagara;
• Labor – Sen. Fred Akshar, R-Southern Tier; and
• Children and Families – Sen. Pamela Helming, R-Central New York.