Senate Committees

Agriculture | Appropriations | Armed Services | Banking | Budget | Commerce | Energy | Environment | Finance | Foreign Relations | Governmental Affairs | Judiciary | Health, Education, Labor and Pensions | Rules | Small Business | Veteran's Affairs | Select Committees

Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

The Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee handles matters dealing with agriculture, most importantly the bill dealing with federal farm subsidies. The committee is usually dominated by senators from farming states.

In: Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa
Out: Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Web site

Appropriations

The Appropriations Committee handles each of the 13 bills dealing with discretionary spending, which covers government services such as building roads, national defense and medical research. It does not handle spending required by law, such as entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and the interest payments the government must pay yearly to finance the national debt. The proportion of federal money available for discretionary spending has shrunk over the years, so the committee is a battleground for senators seeking funding for government programs.

In: Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia
Out: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska

Appropriations Committee Web site

Armed Services

The Armed Services Committee handles all legislation dealing with the nation's armed forces, including weapons systems, military pay, national security aspects of nuclear energy and other military and defense issues. A key issue the committee will handle in the coming months is President George W. Bush's proposed national missile defense system and his plans to modernize the military.

In: Carl Levin of Michigan
Out: John Warner of Virginia

Armed Services Committee Web site

Banking, Housing, And Urban Affairs

This committee handles a range of issues related to financial services, public and private housing matters and urban development issues such as mass transit. One of the most high-profile bills to emerge was the 1999 bill that overhauled federal rules governing the way financial institutions operate, the biggest change in banking laws since the Great Depression. It repealed the restrictions that prevented banks, brokerage firms and insurance companies from merging and selling each other's products.

In: Sen. Paul Sarbanes, D-Maryland
Out: Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas

Banking, Housing, And Urban Affairs Committee Web site

Budget

The Budget Committee handles the annual budget resolution that creates guidelines and ceilings for the 13 appropriations bills that Congress must pass later this year.

In: Sen. Kent Conrad, D-North Dakota
Out: Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico

Budget Committee Web site

Commerce, Science, And Transportation

A myriad of issues are handled by this committee, including telecommunications issues, space, aviation and transportation issues like Amtrak and highway funding. The rise of the Internet has brought the committee more attention as it deals with issues such as junk e-mail, online gambling and regulation of Internet service providers.

In. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-South Carolina
Out: Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona

Commerce, Science, And Transportation Committee Web Site

Energy And Natural Resources

The committee's jurisdiction includes oversight and legislative responsibilities of the nation's energy policy, which has been garnering much attention due to the recent upswing in energy prices. The committee will handle any legislation that comes out of President Bush's recently released energy plan. The committee also handles issues relating to Arctic and Antarctic research, Alaska energy issues and native Hawaiian matters.

In: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico
Out: Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska

Energy And Natural Resources Committee Web Site

Environment And Public Works

Created to handle federal building construction, the committee now has legislative responsibility for the development of the federal interstate highway system; environmental issues such as global climate change, air and water pollution control; the regulation of nonmilitary nuclear power; endangered species programs; and oversight of the federal Superfund to clean up toxic waste sites.

In: Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vermont
Out: Sen. Bob Smith, R-New Hampshire

Environment And Public Works Committee Web Site

Finance Committee

This committee recently passed $1.35 million tax cut, the centerpiece of President Bush's legislative agenda. Any issues dealing with Social Security also are dealt with by the Finance Committee, along with health programs funded by a specific trust fund, such as Medicare. Any action on adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare will be heard by the committee.

In: Sen. Max Baucus, R-Montana
Out: Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa

Finance Committee Web site

Foreign Relations

International policy is the focus of this committee's work, including national security issues, U.S. embassies, economic, military, technical, and humanitarian assistance to other countries and treaties, except trade agreements. Any dealings with international organizations, like the United Nations and the World Bank, are handled by this committee.

In: Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Delaware
Out: Sen. Jesse Helms, R-North Carolina

Foreign Relations Committee Web site

Governmental Affairs

The Governmental Affairs Committee handles legislation dealing with the U.S. Census and collection of statistics, the Postal Service, the organization and management of United States nuclear export policy, organization and reorganization of the executive branch of the government and general government issues.

In: Sen. Joe Lieberman, R-Connecticut
Out: Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tennessee

Governmental Affairs Committee Web site

Judiciary

The Judiciary Committee has one of the broadest legislative jurisdictions of Senate panels. The committee handles judicial nominations, espionage issues, civil liberties, immigration and naturalization, federal prisons, patent, copyrights and trademarks and criminal justice issues.

In: Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont
Out: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah

Judiciary Committee Web Site

Health, Education, Labor And Pensions

Legislation dealing with education, labor, health and public welfare issues is handled by this committee, including biomedical research and development, labor standards and statistics, equal opportunity employment and occupational safety and health. President Bush's education reform bill will be handled by this committee.

In: Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts
Out: Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vermont

Health, Education, Labor And Pensions Committee Web site

Rules And Administration

The Rules Committee handles any federal election-related matters, including contested elections. In the wake of the Florida election fracas, any legislation changing the way federal elections are administered would be handled by this committee. The committee also deals with the rules and regulations governing the Senate and the administration of the Senate Office Buildings.

In: Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Connecticut
Out: Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky

Rules And Administration Committee Web site

Small Business

Legislation and matters dealing with the Small Business Administration are handled by this committee. The panel also conducts research into problems affecting U.S. small businesses and issues reports.

In: Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts
Out: Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Missouri

Small Business Committee Web Site

Veterans' Affairs

The Veterans' Affairs Committee handles all issues relating to veterans, including compensation, veterans' hospitals and health care, pensions, national cemeteries and vocational rehabilitation and education of veterans.

In: Sen. John Rockefeller, D-West Virginia
Out: Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania

Veterans' Affairs Committee Web site

Select, special and joint Committees

The Senate also has other committees known as select, joint or special committees, which are chiefly for oversight of certain issues or housekeeping tasks. For example, the Senate Select Committee On Intelligence oversees and studies the intelligence activities and handles any appropriate proposals for legislation concerning intelligence activities. There is also a select committee on ethics, a special committee on aging, an Indian Affairs Committee and four joint committees on Congress, economics, taxation and the Senate library.

Senate Committees Web site

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