United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce

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United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce
Standing committee
Seal of the United States House of Representatives.svg
United States House of Representatives
118th Congress
Edworkforce2.png
Committee logo
History
FormedMarch 21, 1867
Formerly known as
  • Committee on Education and Labor
  • Committee on Education
  • Committee on Labor
  • Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities
Leadership
Chair Virginia Foxx (R)
Since January 3, 2023
Ranking member Bobby Scott (D)
Since January 3, 2023
Structure
Seats45 members
Political partiesMajority (25)
  •   Republican (25)
Minority (20)
Website
https://edworkforce.house.gov/

    The Committee on Education and the Workforce is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 45 members of this committee. Since 2023, the chair of the Education and the Workforce committee is Virginia Foxx of North Carolina.

    Contents

    History of the committee

    Attempts were made to create a congressional committee on education and labor starting with the early congresses but issues over Congress's constitutional ability to oversee such issues delayed the committee's formation. Finally, on March 21, 1867, the Committee on Education and Labor was founded following the end of the Civil War and during the rapid industrialization of America. On December 19, 1883, the committee was divided into two, the Committee on Education and the Committee on Labor. The committees again merged on January 2, 1947, after the passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, becoming the Committee on Education and Labor again.

    Name changes

    On January 4, 1995, when the Republicans took over the House, the committee was renamed the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities. It was renamed again as the Committee on Education and the Workforce two years later on January 7, 1997. On January 4, 2007, with the Democrats once again in the majority, the committee's name was changed back to Committee on Education and Labor. [1] After Republicans recaptured the House majority in the 2010 elections, they returned to the name, Committee on Education and the Workforce, effective with the opening of the 112th Congress in 2011. [2] After Democrats recaptured the House majority in the 2018 elections, they similarly returned to the previous name, Committee on Education and Labor, effective with the opening of the 116th Congress in 2019.[ citation needed ] With the passing of the new House Rules associated to the Speaker negotiations in January of 2023, the 118th Congress renamed the committee as the Committee on Education and the Workforce again. [3]

    Jurisdiction

    From the Official Committee Webpage:

    The Education and Labor Committee's purpose is to ensure that Americans' needs are addressed so that students and workers may move forward in a changing school system and a competitive global economy.

    The committee and its five subcommittees oversee education and workforce programs that affect all Americans, from early learning through secondary education, from job training through retirement.

    The Education and Labor Committee Democrats' goal is to keep America strong by increasing education opportunities for students, by making it easier to send young adults to college, and by helping workers find job training and retirement security for a better future. The following education issues are under the jurisdiction of the Education and Labor Committee:

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

    Labor. The Committee on Labor also holds jurisdiction over workforce initiatives aimed at strengthening health care, job training, and retirement security for workers. Workforce issues in the jurisdiction of the Education and the Labor Committee include:

    Activity

    In December 2023, the Committee held a hearing on antisemitism at which three university presidents were invited to speak about their handling of antisemitism on their campuses, and later pressured to resign. [4] [5] Ultimately, within weeks the president of the University of Pennsylvania, M. Elizabeth Magill, resigned as direct consequence of the hearing, and Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University was forced out because of plagiarism accusations amplified in part due to the hearing.

    An April 2024 hearing with Columbia University president Minouche Shafik was held later in the morning of the first day of the 2024 Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupation.

    Members, 118th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 14 (Chair), H.Res. 15 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 80 (R), H.Res. 87 (D)

    Subcommittees

    SubcommitteeChair [6] Ranking Member [7]
    Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Aaron Bean (R-FL) Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)
    Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Bob Good (R-VA) Mark Desaulnier (D-CA)
    Higher Education and Workforce Investment Burgess Owens (R-UT) Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
    Workforce Protections Kevin Kiley (R-CA) Alma Adams (D-NC)

    Historical membership rosters

    115th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources: H.Res. 6 (Chair), H.Res. 7 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 45 (D), H.Res. 51 (R), H.Res. 59 (D), H.Res. 131 (R)

    116th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Sources: H.Res. 24 (Chair), H.Res. 25 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 42 (D), H.Res. 68 (R), H.Res. 73 (D), H.Res. 481 (R), H.Res. 596 (R), H.Res. 801 (R)

    Subcommittees

    As of 2019: [10]

    SubcommitteeChairRanking Member
    Civil Rights and Human Services Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) James Comer (R-KY)
    Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Gregorio Sablan (I-MP) Rick W. Allen (R-GA)
    Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Frederica Wilson (D-FL) Tim Walberg (R-MI)
    Higher Education and Workforce Investment Susan Davis (D-CA) Lloyd Smucker (R-PA)
    Workforce Protections Alma Adams (D-NC) Bradley Byrne (R-AL)

    117th Congress

    MajorityMinority

    Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 9 (Chair), H.Res. 10 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 62 (D), H.Res. 63 (R), H.Res. 72 (removing Rep. Greene), H.Res. 92 (D), H.Res. 111 (D), H.Res. 311 (R), H.Res. 902 (D), H.Res. 1340 (R), H.Res. 1404 (D)

    Subcommittees
    Subcommittee [11] ChairRanking Member
    Civil Rights and Human Services Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) Russ Fulcher (R-ID)
    Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Gregorio Sablan (I-MP) Burgess Owens (R-UT)
    Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) Rick W. Allen (R-GA)
    Higher Education and Workforce Investment Frederica Wilson (D-FL) Greg Murphy (R-NC)
    Workforce Protections Alma Adams (D-NC) Fred Keller (R-PA)

    Chairs

    Committee on Education and Labor (1867–1883)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    Jehu Baker RepublicanIL18671860
    Samuel F. Cary RepublicanOH1869
    Samuel M. Arnell RepublicanTN18691871
    Legrand W. Perce RepublicanMS18711873
    James Monroe RepublicanOH18731875
    Gilbert C. Walker DemocraticVA18751877
    John Goode DemocraticVA18771881
    Jonathan T. Updegraff RepublicanOH18811882
    John C. Sherwin RepublicanIL18821883
    Committee on Education and Committee on Labor (1883–1947)
    Committee on EducationCommittee on Labor
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of serviceChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    D. Wyatt Aiken DemocraticSC18831887 James H. Hopkins DemocraticPA18831885
    Allen D. Candler DemocraticGA18871889 John J. O'Neill DemocraticMO18851889
    James O'Donnell RepublicanMI18891891 William H. Wade RepublicanMO18891891
    Walter I. Hayes DemocraticIA18911892 John C. Tarsney DemocraticMO18911893
    David B. Brunner DemocraticPA1892 Lawrence E. McGann DemocraticIL18931895
    Benjamin A. Enloe DemocraticTN18921895 Thomas W. Phillips RepublicanPA18951897
    Galusha A. Grow RepublicanPA18951903 John J. Gardner RepublicanNJ18971911
    George N. Southwick RepublicanNY19031909 William B. Wilson DemocraticPA19111913
    James F. Burke RepublicanPA19091911 David J. Lewis DemocraticMD19131917
    Asbury F. Lever DemocraticSC19111913 James P. Maher DemocraticNY19171919
    Dudley M. Hughes DemocraticGA19131917 John M. C. Smith RepublicanMI19191921
    William J. Sears DemocraticFL19171919 John I. Nolan RepublicanCA19211922
    Simeon D. Fess RepublicanOH19191923 Frederick N. Zihlman RepublicanMD19221925
    Frederick W. Dallinger RepublicanMA19231925 William F. Kopp RepublicanIA19251930
    Daniel A. Reed RepublicanNY19251931 Richard J. Welch RepublicanCA19301931
    John J. Douglass DemocraticMA19311935 William P. Connery Jr. DemocraticMA19311937
    Vincent L. Palmisano DemocraticMD19351937 Mary Teresa Norton DemocraticNJ19371947
    William H. Larrabee DemocraticIN19371943
    Graham A. Barden DemocraticNC19431947
    Committee on Education and Labor (1947–1995)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    Fred A. Hartley RepublicanNJ19471949
    John Lesinski Sr. DemocraticMI19491950
    Graham A. Barden DemocraticNC19501953
    Samuel K. McConnell RepublicanPA19531955
    Graham A. Barden DemocraticNC19551961
    Adam Clayton Powell DemocraticNY19611967
    Carl D. Perkins DemocraticKY19671984
    Augustus F. Hawkins DemocraticCA19841991
    William D. Ford DemocraticMI19911995
    Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities (1995–1997)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    William F. Goodling RepublicanPA19951997
    Committee on Education and the Workforce (1997–2007)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    William F. Goodling RepublicanPA19972001
    John Boehner RepublicanOH20012006
    Buck McKeon RepublicanCA20062007
    Committee on Education and Labor (2007–2011)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    George Miller DemocraticCA20072011
    Committee on Education and the Workforce (2011–2019)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    John Kline RepublicanMN20112017
    Virginia Foxx RepublicanNC20172019
    Committee on Education and Labor (2019–2023)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    Bobby Scott DemocraticVA20192023
    Committee on Education and the Workforce (2023–present)
    ChairPartyStateStart of serviceEnd of service
    Virginia Foxx RepublicanNC2023present

    See also

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    References

    1. Chapter 9. Records of the Committees on Education and Labor, Guide to the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives at the National Archives, 1789-1989 (Record Group 233), National Archives and Records Administration
    2. Wall Street Journal: Republicans Labor to Avoid ‘Labor’
    3. PBS: There are new House rules under GOP leadership. Here’s a short guide
    4. Borter, Gabriella; Morgan, David (December 8, 2023). "U.S. lawmakers demand Harvard, MIT, Penn remove presidents after antisemitism hearing". Reuters.
    5. "New York Post: Harvard President Claudine Gay's resignation 'just the beginning of reckoning' amid House antisemitism probe: Stefanik". Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
    6. "Education And The Workforce Committee Adopts Rules And Oversight Plan For 118th Congress". Committee on Education & the Workforce. January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
    7. "NEW: 118th Congress Democratic Committee Assignments | Education & The Workforce Committee Democrats". democrats-edworkforce.house.gov. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
    8. Sablan is an Independent, but caucuses with the Democrats.
    9. Sablan is an Independent, but caucuses with the Democrats.
    10. "Members, Subcommittees & Jurisdictions" (PDF). Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
    11. "Chairman Scott Statement Announces New Subcommittee and Vice Chairs". Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved February 8, 2021.