The House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce is primarily concerned with measures and legislation relating to education and labor the United States.

The following specific responsibilities are within the scope of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce:

(1) Measures relating to education or labor generally.

(2) Child labor.

(3) Columbia Institution for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind; Howard University; Freedmen's Hospital.

(4) Convict labor and the entry of goods made by convicts into interstate commerce.

(5) Food programs for children in schools.

(6) Labor standards and statistics.

(7) Mediation and arbitration of labor disputes.

(8) Regulation or prevention of importation of foreign laborers under contract.

(9) United States Employees' Compensation Commission.

(10) Vocational rehabilitation.

(11) Wages and hours of labor.

(12) Welfare of minors.

(13) Work incentive programs.

SUBCOMMITTEES:

Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations

Subcommittee on Workforce Protections

Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness

Subcommittee on Education Reform

Subcommittee on Select Education

COMMITTEE BACKGROUND:

The powers granted to Congress under the Constitution did not include the regulation of either education or labor, and during its first hundred years Congress passed little legislation in these areas. The first standing Committee on Education and Labor was established just after the Civil War. In 1867 Representative Jehu Baker of Illinois submitted a resolution instructing the Select Committee on Rules to inquire into the expediency of establishing a committee on labor because, "... [I]n view of the greater liberty and larger recognition of manhood which have followed the suppression of the rebellion, it is eminently fitting that the Government should be placed, if possible, in a better relation to the working people of the country."

Beginning in 1883, Committees on Education and Labor functioned as separate entities; in 1946, they were combined once again. Although the combination of jurisdictions in this committee has persisted through the 107th Congress, the debate over the combination has not ended. Critics argue that due to the large amount of education-oriented legislation the Committee addresses, it would be wise to split the committee into an education committee and a labor committee.

In 1995, the name of the Committee was changed to the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities. Two years later, the committee underwent another name change and is now the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The Committee's jurisdiction, however, remains essentially the same. As part of its jurisdiction over employer-employee relations, the Committee has dealt with the National Labor Relations Act, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and issues of civil rights in employment and employee benefits, including employee health plans. To oversee workforce protections, the Committee has debated laws on the minimum wage, maximum hours, and occupational safety. In the area of education, the Committee deals with bills pertaining to school nutrition programs, parental literacy, services for the elderly, services for children (the Head Start Act), alcohol and drug abuse, special education for the disabled, daycare programs, child abuse and domestic violence prevention, family poverty programs, and sponsorship of the arts and humanities. In overseeing post secondary education, the Committee has discussed training and apprenticeship programs, vocational education, rehabilitation, and student assistance. Furthermore, the Committee has jurisdiction over investigations into Federal departments for problems relating to education and the workplace.

CURRENT LEGISLATION TOPICS:

Education Issues

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001:

Closing the Achievement Gap in America's Schools; Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

Education Funding:  Resources for Reform

Historic Funding for Education -- Linked to Results and High Standards; What the Education Establishment Doesn't Want You to Know

Special Education Reform

Improving Results for Children with Special Needs; Renewing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Expanding Parental Choice in Education

Giving Parents the Tools to Choose the Best Education Possible for their Children

Accountability in Higher Education: What are Parents & Students Getting for Their Mone?

Renewing the Higher Education Act (HEA) by Emphasizing Results, Quality, Affordability, and Access

Reducing Federal Red Tape in Student Aid Programs

The FED UP Project: Expanding Access to College by Streamlining Bureaucracy

Early Childhood Education: Strengthening Head Start by Emphasizing What Works; Improving Child Care

Vocational Education: Helping Americans from All Walks of Life Learn New Skills and Prepare for the Future

Child Nutrition: Helping Local Schools and Parents Promote Healthy Choices for Children

Supporting America's School Teachers: Giving All Children the Chance to Learn from a Highly Qualified Teacher

Promoting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs); Responding to the Needs of HBCUs and HSIs in the 21st Century

Strengthening Financial Oversight at the U.S. Department of Education: Combating Waste, Fraud and Abuse; Demanding Accountability

Supporting America's Libraries & Museums: Reauthorizing the Museum & Library Services Act

Preventing Child Abuse and Family Violence: Keeping Children and Families Safe

Workforce Issues

Pension & Retirement Security for U.S. Workers: Giving Workers More Freedom to Diversify, Better Access to Investment Advice; Strengthening Enforcement of Federal Pension Protection Laws

Helping Americans Get Back to Work: Personal Reemployment Accounts

Back to Work Accounts Provide New Options to Help the Unemployed Make a Quick Return to Work

Expanding Access to Quality Health Care for Families: New Solutions for America's 41 Million Uninsured; Protecting Vulnerable Families Against Soaring Costs and Health Care Bureaucracy

Family Time Options for U.S. Workers: Helping Working Mothers & Fathers Balance the Demands of Family and Work

Strengthening Welfare Reform: Building on the 1996 Reforms to Help Even More Americans Achieve Independence and Improving Access to Child Care

Enhancing Union Democracy & Accountability to Workers: Making Corporate Bosses & Labor Bosses Accountable to Rank-and-File Workers

Reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

Helping U.S. Workers Meet Challenges and Seize Opportunities in a Changing Economy

Preserving Retiree Health Benefits: Exploring Solutions to the Growing Costs of Retiree Health Care

Genetic Non-Discrimination: The Promise and Implications of Genetic Testing -- and the Possible Consequences of New Mandates

Mental Health Parity: Ensuring All Patients Have Access to Needed Care

Improving Workplace Safety: Promoting Worker Safety and Fairness for Small Business; Oversight of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)

Reducing Violence in the Workplace; Bolstering Security, Combating Violent Crime in the Workplace

Encouraging Employers to Provide Bonus or Gainsharing Plans to their Workers

Enhancing Employee Earning Potential

Removing Obstacles in Federal Law that Prevent Skilled Workers from Maximizing their Earning Potential

MEMBERS:

John A. Boehner, Ohio, Chairman

Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin (Vice Chairman)

George Miller, California (Ranking Minority Member)

Cass Ballenger, North Carolina

Dale E. Kildee, Michigan

Peter Hoekstra, Michigan

Major R. Owens, New York

Howard "Buck" McKeon, California

Donald M. Payne, New Jersey

Michael N. Castle, Delaware

Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey

Sam Johnson, Texas

Lynn C. Woolsey, California

James C. Greenwood, Pennsylvania

Rubén Hinojosa, Texas

Charlie Norwood, Georgia

Carolyn McCarthy, New York

Fred Upton, Michigan

John F. Tierney, Massachusetts

Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan

Ron Kind, Wisconsin

Jim DeMint, South Carolina

Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio

Johnny Isakson, Georgia

David Wu, Oregon

Judy Biggert, Illinois

Rush D. Holt, New Jersey

Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania

Susan Davis, California

Patrick J. Tiberi, Ohio

Betty McCollum, Minnesota

Ric Keller, Florida

Danny Davis, Illinois

Tom Osborne, Nebraska

Ed Case, Hawaii

Joe Wilson, South Carolina

Raúl M. Grijalva, Arizona

Thomas Cole, Oklahoma

Denise L. Majette, Georgia

Jon C. Porter, Nevada

Chris Van Hollen, Maryland

John Kline, Minnesota

Timothy J. Ryan, Ohio

John R.Carter, Texas

Timothy H. Bishop, New York

Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado 

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee 

Phil Gingrey, Georgia 

Max Burns, Georgia