Jurisdiction

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Ever since the first Congress authorized a lighthouse on Cape Henry, Virginia as an aid to ships sailing through Hampton Roads, the Congress of the United States has been involved in providing for the nation’s transportation infrastructure.  In the more than two hundred years since the Cape Henry Lighthouse first shown out across the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the Committees of the House of Representatives responsible for public works and infrastructure have changed names and grown in scope.  What was once the Rivers and Harbors Committee is now the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.  However, the mission remains essentially the same: provide a strong backbone upon which the nation’s people and commerce can flourish.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee currently has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation: aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, roads, bridges, mass transit, and railroads.  But the Committee has jurisdiction over other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as clean water and waste management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the economic development of depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, activities of the Army Corps of Engineers and the various missions of the Coast Guard. 

When combined, these areas of jurisdiction provide a comprehensive view of how communities across the United States are connected to one another, how infrastructure affects the growth and flow of commerce at home and abroad, and how an effective government can improve the lives of its citizens.

Since the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, much like other Congressional Committees, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has necessarily approached its traditional jurisdiction with a heightened level of concern for security.  The Committee strives to secure transportation in our skies, across our lands, and over our waters, while also considering the impacts that security measures can have on commerce.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, with 75 Members, is currently the largest committee in Congress.  Its six subcommittees are:

  • Aviation
  • Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • Highways and Transit
  • Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials
  • Water Resources and Environment

Aviation Subcommittee

The Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, and international issues.  This jurisdiction includes all aspects of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) except for research activities, which are within the jurisdiction of the Science Committee. 

Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks, the number of air travelers in the United States had reached record levels and had begun to strain the existing infrastructure capacity.  For several years after the attacks, the demand for air travel decreased and the impending capacity crunch was delayed while officials in the Federal government, at the airlines and at airports dealt with many new security issues.

Demand has returned to pre-9/11 levels, however, and the Subcommittee will continue to contend with existing capacity and security concerns, as well as an aging air traffic control system.

The Aviation Subcommittee is also traditionally the lead subcommittee with jurisdiction over the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and other transportation accidents.  The essential air service program, which ensures commercial air service to smaller communities, the war risk insurance program, which provides insurance coverage for commercial flights to high-risk parts of the world, and passenger and cargo commercial space transportation also fall within the purview of the Aviation Subcommittee.

The Subcommittee continues to exercise oversight jurisdiction over the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and continues to have jurisdiction over the impacts of transportation security on the aviation industry and aviation safety.

Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Aviation Subcommittee include:

  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Air traffic control modernization
  • Airport capacity
  • Airport Improvement Program grants
  • Aviation antitrust issues
  • Aviation labor, as governed by the Railway Labor Act
  • Aviation safety
  • Aviation security, including the Transportation Security Administration
  • Commercial aviation
  • Essential air service for small communities
  • General aviation
  • International aviation
  • National Transportation Safety Board
  • War risk insurance
  • Commercial space transportation and tourism
  • Air carrier operations
  • Use of the navigable airspace

Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee

The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation has jurisdiction over the activities of the United States Coast Guard, including its duties, organization, functions, personnel, the Coast Guard Academy, the Coast Guard Reserve, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary. 

The Coast Guard performs a variety of traditional missions, including search and rescue, illegal drug and migrant interdiction, oil spill prevention and response, marine safety, maintaining aids to navigation, icebreaking operations, enforcement of U.S. fisheries laws, and defense readiness.  Since September 11, 2001, the Coast Guard is also the lead agency responsible for maritime homeland security.

The Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over regulation of ocean shipping and non-national security aspects of the merchant marine, including activities of the Federal Maritime Commission.

Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee include:

  • United States Coast Guard
  • Maritime transportation safety
  • Navigation, port and waterway safety
  • Maritime transportation regulatory activities, including the regulation of vessels and merchant seaman,
  • State boating safety programs
  • Marine environmental protection, generally as related to vessel operations (oil and plastics pollution, invasive/aquatic nuisance species transported by vessels, international agreements concerning transportation of oil and hazardous substances)
  • Port security
  • Federal Maritime Commission and the regulation of ocean shipping
  • The Jones Act (United States cabotage laws governing shipping of goods and passengers between any two points in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone)
  • Non-national security aspects of the merchant marine

Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee

The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management oversees a broad range of Federal programs and activities. 

The Subcommittee conducts oversight of programs addressing the Federal management of emergencies and natural disasters, an issue that gained more prominence following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the Hurricane Katrina tragedy of 2005.  The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security’s other disaster management responsibilities; the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Assistance Act and its mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery programs; the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act; and several first responder programs.

The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over agencies and programs promoting economic development in communities suffering economic distress, such as the Economic Development Administration and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The Subcommittee also is responsible for oversight of Federal real estate programs and the Public Buildings Service (PBS) of the General Services Administration (GSA): the civilian landlord of the Federal Government.

Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Subcommittee include:

  • The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) and the Federal management of emergencies and disasters
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Federal Protective Service of the Department of Homeland Security
  • Economic Development Administration (EDA)
  • Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
  • Denali Commission
  • Delta Regional Authority (DRA)
  • Northern Great Plains Regional Authority
  • Public Buildings Service (PBS) activities including leasing, planning, site and design, construction, acquisition and renovation of public buildings, courthouses, and border facilities
  • Infrastructure of the Capitol Complex and use of the Capitol Grounds
  • Facilities of the Smithsonian Institution
  • Facilities of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • International Center for Foreign Chanceries
  • Union Station Redevelopment
  • Judiciary Centers
  • Measures relating to the location, use, accessibility, energy conservation, security, health and safety, transfer or exchange of Federal buildings
  • Naming of Federal buildings and courthouses

Highways and Transit Subcommittee

The Subcommittee on Highways and Transit is primarily charged with responsibilities relating to the construction of roads and transit facilities and the development of national surface transportation policy, including safety and research measures.  As such, the Subcommittee has jurisdiction over many programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

The foremost legislative product of the Subcommittee is the reauthorization of the Federal highway, transit and highway safety programs.  Currently reauthorized approximately every six years, this legislation represents an investment in the nation’s infrastructure that translates into safer travel, more efficient commerce, and the creation of thousands of jobs.

An important feature of this legislation, first enacted in the 1998 reauthorization and continued through the 2005 bill, is the budgetary “firewalls” that place highway and transit spending in categories separate from all other domestic discretionary spending.  These firewalls guarantee that gas taxes are used for their intended purpose – transportation projects – and not to fatten the Treasury in order to mask greater spending in other unrelated programs.

Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee include:

  • Federal-aid highway and Federal transit programs
  • Highway and transit project planning and development
  • Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
  • Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
  • Motor carrier and highway safety regulation
  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
  • Highway safety research and highway safety grants to states
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
  • Surface transportation research, administered by FHWA and FTA and coordinated through the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)
  • Security and enforcement responsibilities of the above agencies, particularly FTA and FMCSA
  • The Clean Air Act, certain provisions relating to air quality issues

Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee

The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials has jurisdiction over the economic and safety regulation of railroads and the agencies that administer those regulations.  Economic regulation is administered by the three-member Surface Transportation Board (STB).  This independent agency also has the authority to address national emergencies as they affect the nation’s rail transportation system.

 The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for administering railroad safety laws, railroad infrastructure and development programs, possesses responsibilities relevant to homeland security, and has federal oversight of Amtrak.

Amtrak is the nation’s major provider of intercity passenger rail service.  Also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak was established by law in 1970, required to assume the responsibility for the money-losing passenger services of the private sector railroads in the United States.  The Subcommittee continues to oversee efforts to increase efficiency and accountability in Amtrak’s operations.

The Subcommittee also has jurisdiction over the railroad retirement and unemployment systems, as well as rail labor relations.

In the 110th Congress, some issues previously under the jurisdiction of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee were transferred to the former Railroads Subcommittee.  The transportation of hazardous materials and the issue of pipeline safety now fall under the scope of this subcommittee, renamed the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee.

Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee include:

  • Economic regulation of railroads
  • Surface Transportation Board (STB)
  • Railroad safety, including safety practices, equipment, and reporting
  • Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
  • Railroad development programs, such as high-speed rail research and development
  • Rail infrastructure programs
  • Rail security
  • Amtrak
  • Railroad retirement (regarding the benefit aspects) and unemployment
  • Railroad Retirement Board, which administers the retirement and unemployment programs unique to railroads
  • Railway Labor Act
  • The National Mediation Board, which administer the Railway Labor Act
  • Hazardous materials transportation
  • Pipeline transportation safety
  • Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee

The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment consists generally of matters relating to water resources development, conservation and management, water pollution control and water infrastructure, and hazardous waste cleanup.  A number of agencies administer programs that address one or more of these issues; two agencies in particular, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), oversee the larger programs of concern to the Subcommittee.

Through its Civil Works Program, the Corps constructs projects for the purposes of navigation, flood control, beach erosion control and shoreline protection, hydroelectric power, recreation, water supply, environmental protection, restoration and enhancement, and fish and wildlife mitigation.  Barring the smallest projects, which the Corps can undertake without full Congressional authorization, these projects traditionally are contained in two-year water resources development acts.

EPA has the primary responsibility for carrying out the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly known as the Clean Water Act.  This act provides for a major Federal/state program to protect, restore, and maintain the quality of the nation’s waters. Although EPA is responsible for carrying out the Act, significant parts of the program may be administered by the states if approved by EPA.

Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee include

  • Water resources programs of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)
  • Clean Water Act
  • Superfund (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act)
  • Water infrastructure and watershed protection programs
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Ocean dumping
  • Oil pollution of navigable waters of the United States
  • Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
  • Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
  • Small watershed program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Deepwater ports
  • Invasive/aquatic nuisance species
  • Coastal pollution and coastal zone management
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • Natural resource damages provisions in Superfund and the Oil Pollution Act
  • Groundwater protection
  • Water resources policy
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