House Committee on Education and the Workforce -- http://edworkforce.house.gov
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House Committee on Education and the Workforce
JURISDICTION:
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