Around the nation’s medicine chest, otherwise known as New Jersey, Bob Franks is a widely recognized character. A former Republican congressman who knows how to schmooze, he’s spent the past 6-plus years heading the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, a trade group that serves the cause of various drugmakers, and a few device companies, too. For the most part, HINJ focuses on lobbying and economic issues, sometimes bumping up against PhRMA, the national trade group.

Today, however, Franks was named by NJ Governor Jon Corzine, a Democrat, to head a new committee to work out the details of Corzine’s proposal to save NJ’s finances by selling bonds against increased revenues from highway toll hikes. Franks may have lost a gubernatorial election to Corzine several years ago, but he is well-positioned for such a task - he knows movers and shakers, and he’s a transportation wonk.

But he’s not giving up his HINJ job. For that matter, Franks remains affiliated with Winning Strategies, a public relations and lobbying firm with offices in NJ and Washingon DC. It’s not clear how much the committee will demand of his time, but a question that comes to mind is just how effective HINJ will be if its highly-paid ceo is busy examining highways instead of pharma’s agenda.

This also raises a larger question about what pharma wants from its backyard trade organization if its members are willing to let Franks shift his focus. Then again, with so many big drugmakers laying off staff, opening new research facilities in Massachusetts and outsourcing more functions to Asia, maybe they don’t need the group anymore. After all, any company can lobby for tax breaks and legislation.