Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)

Subcommittees:

• Employment and Workplace Safety
• Retirement and Aging

I guess the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee really isn't a big deal unless you care about little issues like health, education, labor and pensions. Ok, so it is a big deal. In fact being able to help Minnesotans with these issues is a big part of why I became a Senator. I want to help Minnesotans through every stage of their life. I want to give them the start they need, keep them healthy, make sure that they have the best education out there, protect them as workers, and make sure that they're taken care of when they retire. Being a member of the HELP Committee gives me a seat at the table so I can do just that, that's why it's so important to me. Reforming our broken health care system, investigating the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, and fixing the No Child Left Behind Act are just some of the issues we have addressed on this Committee.

Learn more about the Senate HELP Committee:
http://help.senate.gov/ 

Committee on the Judiciary

Subcommittees:

• Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights
• Human Rights and the Law
• Administrative Oversight and the Courts

The Judiciary Committee oversees important legal issues such as civil rights, consumer protection, crime, and judicial nominations. Most Senators on the Judiciary Committee are lawyers, but I'm not.  So at first I thought it was unusual that I was appointed to Judiciary. But I did some research, and it turns out that most Minnesotans aren't lawyers either. So I decided to use my spot on this Committee to ask the common sense questions that regular Minnesotans would ask and ensure that someone was looking out for how these issues affect consumers, small businesses, and individuals' civil rights. It's actually a pretty great Committee for doing those things. My first week in the Senate I got a great chance to speak up for regular Minnesotans as part of the nomination hearing for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and I've since been involved in the discussion of how corporate donations will affect our American elections, and how the proposed NBC/Comcast merger is going to affect consumers.  

Learn more about the Senate Judiciary Committee:
http://judiciary.senate.gov/

Committee on Indian Affairs

Minnesota is home to 11 Indian reservations and I am proud to represent one of the largest American Indian communities in the country. As I've visited reservations and talked to tribes throughout Minnesota one thing is clear: there's a lot of work to be done and too few resources to do it. Indian affairs have not been the federal priority they need to be. And I intend to use my seat on the Indian Affairs Committee to change that. So far we've begun to tackle the trafficking of drugs and the trafficking of young Native women between urban areas and reservation land, the dilapidated state of reservation schools, and the need for improved access to health and dental services.

Learn more about the Senate Indian Affairs Committee:
http://indian.senate.gov/public/

Special Committee on Aging

The Senate Special Committee on the Aging reviews issues that affect Minnesotans' quality of life as we age. This means everything from Medicare and Social Security to pensions and nursing home conditions. I come from a school that believes a hard day's work deserves an honest day's pay - and a lifetime of hard work deserves a secure retirement. Seniors built the Minnesota we know and love. They kept it safe for our kids and grandkids. They've worked hard their whole lives and deserve the security they've earned. I'm proud that I can return the favor and work hard for them.

Learn more about the Senate Special Committee on Aging:
http://aging.senate.gov/