United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to health, education, labor, and pensions. Its jurisdiction extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 rules.

Jurisdictional areas

• Measures relating to education, labor, health, and public welfare
• Aging
• Agricultural colleges
• Arts and humanities
• Biomedical research
  Biomedical research
  Biomedical research , in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid and support the body of knowledge in the field of medicine...
  
   and development
• Child labor
  Child labor
  Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
  
  
• Convict labor
  Penal labour
  Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
  
   and the entry of goods made by convicts into interstate commerce
  Commerce Clause
  The Commerce Clause is an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution . The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." Courts and commentators have tended to...
  
  
• Domestic activities of the American Red Cross
  American Red Cross
  The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
  
  
• Equal employment opportunity
• Gallaudet University
  Gallaudet University
  Gallaudet University is a federally-chartered university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, located in the District of Columbia, U.S...
  
  , Howard University
  Howard University
  Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
  
  , and St. Elizabeths Hospital
  St. Elizabeths Hospital
  St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. It was the first large-scale, federally-run psychiatric hospital in the United States. Housing several thousand patients at its peak, St. Elizabeths had a fully functioning...
  
   in Washington, D.C.
  Washington, D.C.
  Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
  
  
• Individuals with disabilities
  Disability
  A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
  
  
• Labor standards and labor statistics
• Mediation
  Mediation
  Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
  
   and arbitration
  Arbitration
  Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
  
   of labor disputes
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
  
  
• Mine Safety and Health Administration
  Mine Safety and Health Administration
  The Mine Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents, to reduce...
  
  
• Private pension
  Pension
  In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
  
   plans
• Public health
  Public health
  Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
  
  
• Railway labor and retirement
• Regulation of foreign laborers
  Foreign worker
  A foreign worker is a person who works in a country other than the one of which he or she is a citizen. The term migrant worker as discussed in the migrant worker page is used in a particular UN resolution as a synonym for "foreign worker"...
  
  
• Student loan
  Student loan
  A student loan is designed to help students pay for university tuition, books, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in education...
  
  s
• Wages and hours of labor, including the federal minimum wage
  Minimum wage in the United States
  , the federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. Some states and municipalities have set minimum wages higher than the federal level , with the highest state minimum wage being $8.67 in Washington. Some U.S. territories are exempt...
  
  

Members, 112th Congress

The chairman of the committee is Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Tom Harkin

Tom Harkin

Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives ....

 of Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, and the Ranking Member

Ranking member

In United States politics, a ranking member is the second-most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the majority party. Another usage refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This second usage, often...

 is Republican Mike Enzi

Mike Enzi

Michael Bradley "Mike" Enzi is the senior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party.Raised in Thermopolis, Wyoming, Enzi attended George Washington University and the University of Denver. He expanded his father's shoe store business in Gillette before being elected mayor of...

 of Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...

.

Majority

Minority

Tom Harkin Tom Harkin Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives .... , Iowa, Chairman Barbara Mikulski Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski is the senior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. Mikulski, a former U.S. Representative, is the longest-serving female senator in U.S... , Maryland Jeff Bingaman Jeff Bingaman Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman, Jr. , is the senior U.S. Senator from New Mexico and a member of the Democratic Party... , New Mexico Patty Murray Patty Murray Patricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator... , Washington Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives... , Vermont Bob Casey, Jr. Bob Casey, Jr. Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in... , Pennsylvania Kay Hagan, North Carolina Jeff Merkley Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Merkley is the junior United States Senator from Oregon. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley was a five-term member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly representing House District 47, located in eastern Multnomah County within the Portland city limits... , Oregon Al Franken Al Franken Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party.... , Minnesota Michael Bennet Michael Bennet Michael Farrand Bennet is an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. He is currently the junior United States Senator from Colorado, and a member of the Democratic Party... , Colorado Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse is the junior U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party... , Rhode Island Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he served as Attorney General of Connecticut.... , Connecticut

Mike Enzi Mike Enzi Michael Bradley "Mike" Enzi is the senior U.S. Senator from Wyoming and a member of the Republican Party.Raised in Thermopolis, Wyoming, Enzi attended George Washington University and the University of Denver. He expanded his father's shoe store business in Gillette before being elected mayor of... , Wyoming, Ranking Member Lamar Alexander Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W... , Tennessee Richard Burr Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr is the senior United States Senator from North Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Burr represented North Carolina's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.... , North Carolina Johnny Isakson Johnny Isakson John Hardy "Johnny" Isakson is the junior United States Senator from Georgia and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he represented in the House.... , Georgia Rand Paul Rand Paul Randal Howard "Rand" Paul is the junior United States Senator for Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Tea Party movement, he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative" and a libertarian... , Kentucky Orrin Hatch Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005... , Utah John McCain John McCain John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election.... , Arizona Pat Roberts Pat Roberts Charles Patrick "Pat" Roberts is the senior United States Senator from Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he has served since 1997... , Kansas Lisa Murkowski Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann Murkowski is the senior U.S. Senator from the State of Alaska and a member of the Republican Party. She was appointed to the Senate in 2002 by her father, Governor Frank Murkowski. After losing a Republican primary in 2010, she became the second person ever to win a U.S... , Alaska Mark Kirk Mark Kirk Mark Steven Kirk is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Kirk was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 10th congressional district.... , Illinois

Source:

Subcommittees

Subcommittee	Chair	Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Children and Families United States Senate Health Subcommittee on Children and Families The Senate Health Subcommittee on Children and Families is one of the three subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Health-Jurisdiction:The Subcommittee's jurisdiction includes Head Start, the Family Medical Leave Act, child care and child support, and other issues involving children, youth,...	Barbara Mikulski Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski is the senior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. Mikulski, a former U.S. Representative, is the longest-serving female senator in U.S...  (D-MD)	Richard Burr Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr is the senior United States Senator from North Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Burr represented North Carolina's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives....  (R-NC)
Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety United States Senate Health Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety The Senate Health Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety is one of the three subcommittees within the Senate Committee on Health-Jurisdiction:...	Patty Murray Patty Murray Patricia Lynn "Patty" Murray is the senior United States Senator from Washington and a member of the Democratic Party. Murray was first elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming Washington's first female senator...  (D-WA)	Johnny Isakson Johnny Isakson John Hardy "Johnny" Isakson is the junior United States Senator from Georgia and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he represented in the House....  (R-GA)
Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging	Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...  (I-VT)	Rand Paul Rand Paul Randal Howard "Rand" Paul is the junior United States Senator for Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Tea Party movement, he describes himself as a "constitutional conservative" and a libertarian...  (R-KY)

Defunct subcommittees

The committee has had other notable subcommittees in the past, such as:

• the Subcommittee on Migratory Labor during the 1950s through 1970s.
• the Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research during the 1970s.

Education and Labor, 1884–1947

• Frederick Sawyer (R-SC) 1870–1873
• James W. Flanagan
  James W. Flanagan
  James Winright Flanagan was an American merchant, lawyer, and farmer from Henderson, Texas. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1869 and 1870, and then represented Texas in the United States Senate from 1870 to 1875.-Early life:James was born to Charles and Elizabeth Flanagan in...
  
   (R-TX) 1873–1875
• John J. Patterson
  John J. Patterson
  John James Patterson was a businessman and United States Senator from South Carolina. Born in Waterloo, Pennsylvania, he grew up there and attended the public schools, and then attended Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania...
  
   (R-SC) 1875–1877
• Ambrose Burnside
  Ambrose Burnside
  Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
  
   (R-RI) 1877–1879
• James E. Bailey
  James E. Bailey
  James Edmund Bailey was a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1877 to 1881.-Biography:Bailey was born in Montgomery County, Tennessee. He attended the Clarksville Academy and the former University of Nashville. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1843, starting a...
  
   (D-TN) 1879–1881
• Henry W. Blair
  Henry W. Blair
  Henry William Blair was a United States Representative and Senator from New Hampshire. Born in Campton, he attended the common schools and private academies, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1859 and commenced practice in Plymouth...
  
   (R-NH) 1881–1891
• Joseph M. Carey
  Joseph M. Carey
  Joseph Maull Carey was a lawyer, rancher, judge, and politician, who spent most of his political career in Wyoming before and after it achieved statehood.-Biography:...
  
   (R-WY) 1891–1893
• James H. Kyle
  James H. Kyle
  James Henderson Kyle was an American politician. One of the most successful members of the Populist Party he served for 10 years as a member of the United States Senate from South Dakota from 1891 until his death....
  
   (PO–SD) 1893–1895
• George Shoup (R-ID) 1895–1897
• James H. Kyle
  James H. Kyle
  James Henderson Kyle was an American politician. One of the most successful members of the Populist Party he served for 10 years as a member of the United States Senate from South Dakota from 1891 until his death....
  
   (PO–SD) 1897–1901
• Louis McComas (R-MD) 1901–1905
• Jonathan P. Dolliver
  Jonathan P. Dolliver
  Jonathan Prentiss Dolliver was a Republican orator, U.S. Representative, then U.S. Senator from Iowa at the turn of the 20th century...
  
   (R-IA) 1905–1909
• William E. Borah (R-ID) 1909–1913
• Hoke Smith
  Hoke Smith
  Michael Hoke Smith was a newspaper owner, United States Secretary of the Interior , 58th Governor of Georgia , and a United States Senator from Georgia.-Biography:...
  
   (D-GA) 1913–1919
• William S. Kenyon (R-IA) 1919–1922
• William E. Borah (R-ID) 1922–1924
• Lawrence C. Phipps
  Lawrence C. Phipps
  Lawrence Cowle Phipps was a United States Senator representing Colorado from 1919 until 1931.Phipps was born in Amityville, Pennsylvania but grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he joined the Carnegie Steel Company as a clerk. His uncle, Henry Phipps, was the second largest shareholder in...
  
   (R-CO) 1924–1926
• James Couzens (R-MI) 1926–1929
• Jesse H. Metcalf
  Jesse H. Metcalf
  Jesse Houghton Metcalf was a United States Senator from Rhode Island. Born in Providence, he was educated in private schools there, studied textile manufacturing in Yorkshire, England, and engaged in textile manufacturing. In 1889 Metcalf received a large bequest from his father's business...
  
   (R-RI) 1929–1933
• David I. Walsh
  David I. Walsh
  David Ignatius Walsh was a United States politician from Massachusetts. As a member of the Democratic Party, he served in the state legislature and then as Lieutenant Governor and then as the 46th Governor . His first term in the U.S...
  
   (D-MA) 1933–1937
• Hugo L. Black (D-AL) 1937
• Elbert D. Thomas
  Elbert D. Thomas
  Elbert Duncan Thomas was a Democratic Party politician from Utah. He represented Utah in the United States Senate from 1933 until 1951.-Biography:...
  
   (D-UT) 1937–1945
• James E. Murray (D-MT) 1945–1947

Labor and Public Welfare, 1947–1977

• Robert A. Taft (R-OH) 1947–1949
• Elbert D. Thomas
  Elbert D. Thomas
  Elbert Duncan Thomas was a Democratic Party politician from Utah. He represented Utah in the United States Senate from 1933 until 1951.-Biography:...
  
   (D-UT) 1949–1951
• James E. Murray (D-MT) 1951–1953
• H. Alexander Smith (R-NJ) 1953–1955
• Lister Hill (D-AL) 1955–1969
• Ralph Yarborough
  Ralph Yarborough
  Ralph Webster Yarborough was a Texas Democratic politician who served in the United States Senate and was a leader of the progressive or liberal wing of his party in his many races for statewide office...
  
   (D-TX) 1969–1971
• Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (D-NJ) 1971–1977

Labor and Human Resources, 1979–1999

• Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (D-NJ) 1979–1981
• Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) 1981–1987
• Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) 1987–1995
• Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS) 1995–1997
• James M. Jeffords (R-VT) 1997–1999

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 1999–present

• James M. Jeffords (R-VT) 1999–2001
• Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) 2001
• James M. Jeffords (R-VT) 2001
• Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) 2001–2003
• Judd Gregg
  Judd Gregg
  Judd Alan Gregg is a former Governor of New Hampshire and former United States Senator from New Hampshire, who served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He is a member of the Republican Party and was a businessman and attorney in Nashua before entering politics...
  
   (R-NH) 2003–2005
• Michael Enzi (R-WY) 2005–2007
• Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) 2007–2009
• Tom Harkin
  Tom Harkin
  Thomas Richard "Tom" Harkin is the junior United States Senator from Iowa and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives ....
  
  (D-IA) 2009–present

External links

• Official Committee Page