Pence taps interim chief to head Indiana labor agency

Rick Ruble is staying on as Indiana's Commissioner of Labor.

Gov. Mike Pence announced Monday he was removing the "interim" from Ruble's title and asking him to continue running the Department of Labor. Ruble became interim commissioner in September after Sean Keefer moved to the governor's office to serve as Pence's chief lobbyist.

Pence cited Ruble's depth of experience working in the department as a large part of why he asked Ruble to continue on. The agency oversees workplace safety, child labor rules and other on-the-job matters.

Ruble's appointment completes some job shuffling sparked by former Pence legislative director Heather Neal's departure in the wake of the grade-changing scandal. Neal had served as former School Superintendent Tony Bennett's chief of staff and was replaced by Keefer.