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Full Committee Members and Jurisdiction
109th Congress
(updated September 11, 2006)

Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, Chairman, California

Jurisdiction of the Full Committee

The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce is dedicated to ensuring security and prosperity for American families in a changing economy.  The committee and its five subcommittees oversee education and workforce programs impacting Americans at all stages, and from all walks of life.  In a changing economy driven by technology, competition, and knowledge, the Education and the Workforce Committee is at the forefront – pushing for constant improvement in education and secure access to health care, retirement security, and training for American workers.

Education.  The Committee on Education and the Workforce oversees federal programs and initiatives dealing with education at all levels -- from preschool through high school to higher education and continuing education.  These include:  

• 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 (the Higher Education Act), to support college access for low and middle-income students and help families pay for college.

• Early childhood & preschool education programs including Head Start;

• School lunch and child nutrition programs;

• Financial oversight of the U.S. Department of Education;

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

• Educational research and improvement;

• Adult education; and

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

Workforce.  The Committee on Education and the Workforce also holds jurisdiction over workforce initiatives aimed at strengthening health care, job training, and retirement security for workers and enhancing individual opportunity, particularly in the emerging knowledge economy.  Workforce priorities in the jurisdiction of the Education and the Workforce Committee include:  

• Pension and retirement security for U.S. workers;

• Access to quality 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;

• Continuing the successful welfare reforms of 1996;

• Protecting the democratic rights of individual union members;

• Worker health and safety, including occupational safety and health;

• Providing greater choices and flexibility (including “comp time” or family time options) to working women and men;

• Equal employment opportunity and civil rights in employment;

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

• Workers’ compensation, and family and medical leave;

• All matters dealing with relationships between employers and employees.

To see the full jurisdiction of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, please link to the Rules Committee website here.