Kids in the House - Learn About Congress

Each committee in the House of Representatives is responsible for addressing a certain subject area. The 19 standing committees, 3 joint committees, and 2 select committees are listed below with a brief sampling of different topics they study.

Which committee would you most like to serve on?

	Agriculture Animals, crops, plants, seeds, soil, farms, forestry, nutrition, meat products, dairy, rural development, water conservation, commodity exchanges and prices, agriculture education, agriculture chemistry.
	Appropriations Appropriations of the revenue for support of the government, transfers of leftover balance monies.
	Armed Services Defense: Army, Marines, Navy, Airforce, national security, ammunition, forts, shipbuilding, canals, defense intelligence, scientific research pertaining to defense, nuclear energy pertaining to defense.
	Budget Establishment and enforcement of federal budget.
	Education & the Workforce General education issues, general labor issues, child labor, school food programs, workers' compensation, vocational rehabilitation, labor wages and hours, work incentive programs.
	Energy & Commerce Biomedical research and development, consumer affairs and protection, health, interstate and foreign commerce, energy resource exploration, pricing, production, and regulation, energy conservation, power generation, nuclear energy, travel and tourism, interstate and foreign communications.
	Financial Services Banks, banking, economic stabilization, insurance, international finance, money, credit, private and public housing, securities and exchanges, urban development.
	Government Reform Federal civil service, federal employment, District of Columbia municipal affairs, government management, federal holidays, national archives, population and demography (Census), postal service, public information records.
	House Administration House of Reprepresentatives salaries, expenses, and accounts, management of Library of Congress, management of Smithsonian Institution, office space assignment, elections, monitoring of campaign contributions, House Member travel, House services (restaurant, parking, administration).
	International Affairs Relations with foreign nations, embassies, national border lines, exports, foreign loans, internationl conferences, international education, declarations of war, American National Red Cross, United Nations.
	Judiciary Civil and criminal judicial proceedings, apportionment of Representatives, bankruptcy, mutiny, espionage, counterfeiting, civil liberties, constitutional amendments, statues and codifications, federal courts, immigration, naturalization, trademarks, patents, copyrights, protection of trade and commerce from unlawful restraints and monopolies, state and territory boundary lines.
	Resources Fisheries, wildlife, forest reserves, national parks, public lands, land grants, geological surveys, irrigation, Native Americans, minerals, mining, oceanography, petroleum conservation, Trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
	Rules Rules of the House of Representatives, recess and final adjourments of Congress.
	Science Energy, astronautical, civil aviation, marine, technological research and development, standardization of weights and measures, NASA, outer space, weather.
	Small Business Assistance and protection of small businesses.
	Standards of Official Conduct Code of Official Conduct.
	Transportation & Infrastructure Coast Guard, federal emergencies and disasters, flood control, inland waterways, navigation and navigation laws, public and federal buildings, public works like bridges and dams, boats, roads, railroads, aviation, water power, water pollution.
	Veterans' Affairs Cemetaries where veterans may be buried, compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and education of veterans, armed servcies life insurance, war pensions, veterans hospitals, medical care, and treatment.
	Ways & Means Customs, trade agreements, revenue measures, debt of the United States, public monies, transportation of dutiable goods, tax exempt foundations and charitable trusts, national Social Security.
	Joint Economic Committee Reviews economic conditions and to recommend improvements in economic policy.
	Joint Committee on Printing Oversees the functions of the Government Printing Office and general printing procedures of the Federal Government.
	Joint Committee on Taxation Investigates and reports on the operation, effects, administration and legislative process of the federal income and internal revenue tax system.
	House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Oversees intelligence resources, activities, operations, and law enforcement.
	Committee on Homeland Security Infrastructure and border security, emergency preparedness and response, cybersecurity, science and technology as related to national security, intelligence, counterterrorism.