Committee Assignments

House Energy and Commerce Committee

Congressman Sarbanes has been appointed to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where he serves on the House Subcommittee on Health and the House Subcommittee on  Energy and Power.

Serving on the Energy and Commerce Committee gives Congressman Sarbanes the opportunity to be at the forefront of debate on some of the most important issues facing Americans today. Because of its broad jurisdiction, the Energy and Commerce Committee is considered an exclusive committee, which prevents members from serving on any other committees without special permission from the Democratic Caucus.

Jurisdiction of the House Energy and Commerce Committee includes:

• Biomedical research and development;
   
• Consumer affairs and consumer protection;
   
• Health and health facilities (except health care supported by payroll deductions);
   
• Interstate energy compacts;
   
• Exploration, production, storage, supply, marketing, pricing and regulation of energy resources, including all fossil fuels, solar energy and other unconventional or renewable energy resources;
   
• Conservation of energy resources;
   
• Energy information;
   
• The generation and marketing of power (except by federally chartered of federal regional power marketing authorities); reliability and interstate transmission of, and ratemaking for, all power; and siting of generation facilities (except the installation of interconnections between government waterpower projects);
   
• General management of the Department of Energy and management of all functions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;
   
• National energy policy generally;
   
• Public health and quarantine;
   
• Regulation of the domestic nuclear energy industry, including regulation of research and development reactors and nuclear regulatory research;
   
• Regulation of interstate and foreign communications; and
   
• Travel and tourism.
   

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

Congressman Sarbanes also serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and its Subcommitte on National Security.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It has authority to investigate the subjects within the Committee’s legislative jurisdiction as well as “any matter” within the jurisdiction of the other standing House Committees.

Jurisdiction of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform includes:

• Federal civil service, including intergovernmental personnel; and the status of officers and employees of the United States, including their compensation, classification, and retirement;
   
• Municipal affairs of the District of Columbia in general (other than appropriations);
   
• Federal paperwork reduction;
   
• Government management and accounting measures generally;
   
• Holidays and celebrations;
   
• Overall economy, efficiency, and management of government operations and activities, including federal procurement;
   
• National archives;
   
• Population and demography generally, including the Census;
   
• Postal service generally, including transportation of the mails;
   
• Public information and records;
   
• Relationship of the federal government to the states and municipalities generally; and
   
• Reorganizations in the executive branch of the government.