Senate approves Corzine aide for top health post

The New Jersey Senate has approved the appointment of Heather Howard, Gov. Corzine's chief policy adviser, as the state's Commissioner of Health and Senior Services.

In appointing Howard to the state's top health post, Corzine cited what he called her extensive knowledge of state and federal health-care issues and her "deep commitment to improving the health and health care of the people of New Jersey."

Howard, approved by the Senate on Monday, helped the state hold on to federal funding for its insurance programs for low-income children and families, Corzine said. She also worked on Corzine's Commission on Rationalizing Healthcare Resources, a group that attempted to rethink the state's health system.

Howard has worked for Corzine since 2001, serving as his chief of staff in the U.S. Senate.

She previously worked in the White House, where she was associate director of President Bill Clinton's Domestic Policy Council, and a policy adviser to first lady Hillary Clinton.

- John Sullivan