Committee Assignments

AGRICULTURE

I am excited and proud to be a new member of the House Committee on Agriculture, giving Texas its largest presence ever on the committee.  The Ag Committee deals with issues including renewable energy, rural development, disaster assistance, nutrition, crop insurance, conservation, international trade, futures market regulation, animal and plant health, agricultural research and development, bioterrorism, forestry and many others. 

I serve on the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry whose jurisdiction includes USDA oversight, review and analysis; special investigations; food stamps; nutrition and consumer programs; forestry in general; and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain; as well as the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry whose jurisdiction includes livestock; dairy; poultry; meat; seafood and seafood products; inspection, marketing, and promotion of such commodities; aquaculture; animal welfare; and grazing. 

I look forward to working with Texas’ agriculture community this year as we craft a fair and comprehensive Farm Bill.  

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

I serve on the House Committee on Science and Technology, where I am the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.  The full Committee has jurisdiction over all non-defense federal scientific research and development at a number of federal agencies, including NASA, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment specifically addresses all matters relating to energy research, development, and demonstration and projects, commercial application of energy technology, and environmental research.  During this Congress, the Subcommittee has already taken a hard look at educational funding for math and science students and teachers, global warming and climate change, weather satellite upgrades and coastal ecological and meteorological matters, and alternative fuel technologies and development.

I also serve on the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, which has jurisdiction over matters including national space policy, NASA and its contractor and government-operated laboratories, space commercialization, civil aviation research and development, and space law.  With growing interest in commercial possibilities of space flight and with NASA’s Johnson Space Center headquartered in Texas’s 22nd Congressional District, the Subcommittee offers a great avenue to continue economic and educational advancements related to our national space program.

TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

I have served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I Committee) in all of my five terms in Congress.  This committee has jurisdiction over transportation including civil aviation, railroads, water transportation, transportation safety, transportation infrastructure, and transportation labor.  In addition the committee oversees flood control and improvement of rivers and harbors and federal management of emergencies and natural disasters, along with an array of other things.

As a member of the T&I Committee, I sit on two Subcommittees, the Subcommittee on Aviation and the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.  The Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, and international issues.  This jurisdiction covers all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs, except for research activities, which are within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science.  In addition, the Subcommittee has jurisdiction over the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).  This jurisdiction is shared with the other subcommittees of the T&I Committee, but the Aviation Subcommittee has traditionally taken the lead on this issue.  Other areas of the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction include the essential air service program and the war risk insurance program.

The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials has jurisdiction over rail transportation, including rail economic regulations, rails safety, rail infrastructure, rail labor, and international rail issues.  It also has jurisdiction over pipelines and hazardous materials transportation.  This jurisdiction includes all aspects of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and the Surface Transportation Board (STB), including the agencies’ homeland security responsibilities.  For examples, the STB has statutory authority to deal with various national emergencies, including war, as they affect the nation’s rail transport system.

I am proud to serve on these subcommittees, and believe that they are essential to helping solve the transportation problems in the 22nd District.