Summary
Mission:
The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Senate rules.
House counterpart: Committee on Education and Labor
Democratic Members (Minority):
Bernie Sanders, Vermont – Ranking Member
Patty Murray, Washington
Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
Chris Murphy, Connecticut
Tim Kaine, Virginia
Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware
Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland
Ed Markey, Massachusetts
Andy Kim, New Jersey
Republican Members (Majority):
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana,
Rand Paul, Kentucky
Susan Collins, Maine
Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
Roger Marshall, Kansas
Tommy Tuberville, Alabama
Josh Hawley, Missouri
Tim Scott, South Carolina
Jim Banks, Indiana
Mike Crapo, Idaho
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee
Featured Video:
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Cmte Hearing on COVID-19
OnAir Post: Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
News
About
Jurisdiction
Rule 25, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, States the Committee’s Jurisdiction to be the following: Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, to which committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects:
- Measures relating to education, labor, health, and public welfare.
- Aging.
- Agricultural colleges.
- Arts and humanities.
- Biomedical research and development.
- Child labor.
- Convict labor and the entry of goods made by convicts into interstate commerce.
- Domestic activities of the American National Red Cross.
- Equal employment opportunity.
- Gallaudet University, Howard University, and Saint Elizabeth hospital.
- Individuals with disabilities.
- Labor standards and labor statistics.
- Mediation and arbitration of labor disputes.
- Occupational safety and health, including the welfare of miners.
- Private pension plans.
- Public health.
- Railway labor and retirement.
- Regulation of foreign laborers.
- Student loans.
- Wages and hours of labor
HELP Committee
Health
The HELP Committee jurisdiction encompasses most of the agencies, institutes, and programs of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Administration on Aging, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Education
The evolving global economy and the need for a highly skilled workforce create new challenges for American workers. The HELP Committee is ensuring our country’s workforce is prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st Century through a lifetime of learning for our citizens.
Labor
The HELP Committee jurisdiction encompasses most federal labor and employment laws, including those that regulate wages and hours of employment, enforce mining and workplace health and safety, combat employment-based discrimination, and regulate union / management relations.
Pensions
The HELP Committee has primary jurisdiction over private retirement plans and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation through the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and over railroad retirement.
Source: Committee website
Contact
Locations
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
428 Senate Dirksen Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5375
