Key Congressional Committees, Subcommittees & Resources

JURISDICTION, WEB LINKS AND RESEARCH RESOURCES

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U.S. SENATE

http://www.senate.gov/

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Appropriations
http://appropriations.senate.gov/
Jurisdiction:  appropriations bills which fund government programs
The menu on the Web page connects to subcommittees

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy
        Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies  
        Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies

 

Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
http://banking.senate.gov/public/
Jurisdiction: financial institutions, housing and mass transit programs
The menu on the Web page connects to subcommittees

Subcommittee of Special Interest for Disability Policy
        Housing, Transportation and Community Development

 

Budget
http://budget.senate.gov/
Jurisdiction:  prepares the budget resolution which sets a broad blueprint for Congress regarding total levels of revenues and spending. Often confused with the Appropriations and Finance Committees that prepare the legislation that actually enacts specific tax and spending policies - see their separate entries 

 

Finance
http://finance.senate.gov/index.html
Jurisdiction: taxes, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicare, Medicaid (including home and community based services and waivers, nursing homes and ICFs/MR) and some other entitlements

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy
     http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/subcommittees.htm
        Health Care
        Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy

 

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)
http://help.senate.gov/
Jurisdiction: health care, education, employment and retirement programs

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy
    http://help.senate.gov/Subcommittees_index.html
        Children and Families
        Employment and Workplace Safety
        Retirement and Aging

 

Veterans’ Affairs
http://veterans.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?pageid=0
Jurisdiction: legislation regarding compensation, readjustment to civilian life, hospitals and medical care and vocational rehabilitation and education for veterans

 
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

http://www.house.gov/

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Appropriations  
http://appropriations.house.gov/

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_lhhse.shtml

Jurisdiction (legislative subjects are divided by House and Senate committees and subcommittees; legislation must begin within predetermined committees of jurisdiction before it moves forward):
    Department of Education
    Most of Department of Health and Human Services
    Department of Labor
    Related Agencies, of which the following are of note for people with disabilities: 
        Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
        National Council on Disability
        Social Security Administration

 

Budget
http://budget.house.gov/

Education and Labor
http://edlabor.house.gov/

Jurisdiction of special interest for disability policy:

  • Elementary and secondary education initiatives, including the No Child Left Behind Act, school choice for low-income families, special education (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), teacher quality & teacher training, scientifically-based reading instruction, and vocational and technical education

  • Higher education programs (Higher Education Act)

  • Early childhood & preschool education programs including Head Start

  • School lunch and child nutrition programs

  • Programs and services for the care and treatment of at-risk youth, child abuse prevention, and child adoption

  • Educational research and improvement

  • Adult education

  • Anti-poverty programs, including Community Services Block Grant Act and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

  • Pension and retirement security for U.S. workers

  • Access to health care for working families and other employee benefits

  • Job training, adult education, and workforce development initiatives, including those under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), to help local communities train and retrain workers

  • Worker health and safety, including occupational safety and health

  • Equal employment opportunity and civil rights in employment (Americans with Disabilities Act)

  • Wages and hours of labor, including Fair Labor Standards Act

  • Workers' compensation and family and medical leave

 

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy
        Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
        Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness
        Healthy Families and Communities
        Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions
        Workforce Protections

 

Energy and Commerce
http://energycommerce.house.gov/
The menu on the Web page connects to subcommittees

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy

Health - Jurisdiction: Public health and quarantine; hospital construction; mental health and research; biomedical programs and health protection in general, including Medicaid (including home and community based services and waivers, nursing homes and ICFs/MR); national health insurance; food and drugs; and drug abuse.

Telecommunications and the Internet
Jurisdiction:  interstate and foreign telecommunications

 

Financial Services
http://financialservices.house.gov/

Subcommittee of Special Interest for Disability Policy
Housing and Community Opportunity - Jurisdiction: oversees the Department of Housing and Urban Development

 

Judiciary
http://judiciary.house.gov/
Jurisdiction of special interest for disability policy:

  • Judiciary and judicial proceedings, civil and criminal

  • Civil liberties

  • Constitutional amendments

  • Immigration policy and non-border enforcement

  • Revision and codification of Statutes of the United States

Subcommittee of Special Interest for Disability Policy
http:// judiciary.house.gov/about/subcommittee.html
    Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties

 

Transportation and Infrastructure
http://transportation.house.gov/
The menu on the Web page connects to subcommittees
Jurisdiction: transportation including civil aviation, railroads, transportation safety and infrastructure

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy
        Aviation
        Highways and Transit

 

Veterans’ Affairs
http://veterans.house.gov/
The menu on the Web page connects to subcommittees

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy
   Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
   Economic Opportunity
   Health
   Oversight and Investigations

 

Ways and Means
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/
The menu on the Web page connects to subcommittees

Subcommittees of Special Interest for Disability Policy

 

Health
Jurisdiction: programs providing payments (from any source) for health care, health delivery systems or health research including health care programs of Social Security Act (titles V, XI (Part B), XVIII (Medicare) and XIX (Medicaid) and, concurrent with full Committee, tax credit and deduction provisions of the Internal Revenue Code dealing with health insurance premiums and health care costs.

 

Income Security and Family Support
Jurisdiction: public assistance provisions of Social Security Act, including: temporary assistance for needy families; child care; child and family services; child support; foster care; adoption; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); social services; eligibility of welfare recipients for food stamps; and low-income energy assistance; bills and matters relating to titles I, IV, VI, X, XIV, XVI, XVII, XX and related provisions of titles VII and XI of Social Security Act.

 

Social Security
Jurisdiction: Federal Old-Age, Survivors’ and Disability Insurance System, the Railroad Retirement System, and employment taxes and trust fund operations relating to those systems - title II of Social Security Act and Chapter 22 of Internal Revenue Code (the Railroad Retirement Tax Act), as well as provisions in title VII and title XI of the Act relating to the Ticket to Work program and procedure and administration involving the Old-Age, Survivors’ and Disability Insurance System.

 
LEGISLATIVE RESOURCES

 

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
http://www.cbo.gov

CBO's mandate is to provide Congress with objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses to aid in economic and budgetary decisions on the wide array of programs covered by the federal budget.  Its role also includes providing information and estimates required for the Congressional budget process. Each year CBO provides an independent re-estimate of the President's budget proposals, delivered to the Congress approximately one month after the President’s budget is presented. The purpose of the independent analysis is to allow Congress to compare the President's spending or revenue proposals to other proposals using a consistent set of economic and technical assumptions.

 

Government Printing Office

Check http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/ for online archives of a number of mailing lists organized by topic that might interest you.

 

Congressional Record
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/index.html
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. GPO Access contains Congressional Record volumes from 140 (1994) to the present. At the back of each daily issue is the "Daily Digest" which summarizes the day's floor and committee activities. The current year’s Congressional Record database is usually updated daily by 11 am, except when late adjournment delays production.  

 

Library of Congress

Congressional Research Service (CRS)
CRS offers research and analysis to Congress on all current and emerging issues of national policy. Its staff of approximately 700 employees includes lawyers, economists, reference librarians, and social, natural and physical scientists. Congressional responses take the form of reports, memoranda, customized briefings, seminars, videotaped presentations, information obtained from automated databases, and consultations in person and by telephone. In all its work, CRS analysts are governed by requirements for confidentiality, timeliness, accuracy, objectivity, balance and nonpartisanship. CRS makes no legislative or other policy recommendations to Congress. CRS is unique because its time and efforts are devoted to working exclusively for Congress and only Members and their staffs can place requests and attend most seminars. While some CRS research and reports may reach the American public, dissemination is at the discretion of congressional clients.

 

Thomas
http://thomas.loc.gov

On-line site updated daily that provides legislative information including: text of bills, committee reports, historical documents, links to the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, executive, judicial and state/local governments.  

 

Government Accountability Office (GAO)
http://www.gao.gov/

GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General of the United States, is appointed to a 15-year term by the President from a slate of candidates Congress proposes. Gene L. Dodaro became Acting Comptroller General of the United States on March 13, 2008, succeeding David M. Walker, who appointed him upon resigning. Mr. Dodaro will serve in this position until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a successor from a list of candidates proposed by the Congress.

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GAO’s mission is to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. It provides Congress with timely information that is objective, fact-based, nonpartisan, non-ideological, fair and balanced.

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GAO provides e-mail updates when publications are posted to its Web site. Subscribers can select either daily or monthly updates or request notification only when publications in a particular topic area are posted.  Go to GAO’s Web site, shown above, and use the Email Update button at the top of the page.