House Committee on Agriculture

I have been a member of the Committee on Agriculture since coming to Congress in 1992. I served as Vice Chairman of the Committee during the 110th and 111th Congress and as well as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research.

In the 112th Congress, I was selected as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry. I also serve on the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.

The Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry has jurisdiction over soil, water, and resource conservation, small watershed programs, energy and biobased energy production, rural electrification, forestry in general and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain.

The Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry has jurisdiction over livestock, dairy, poultry, meat, seafood and seafood products, inspection, marketing, and promotion of such commodities, aquaculture, animal welfare, and grazing.

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

During the 105th Congress, I was appointed to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. As the senior Pennsylvanian, I am honored and excited about the opportunities I have on the full Committee as well as the Subcommittee level, where I will serve on the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit and the Subcommittee on Aviation.

The Subcommittee on Highways and Transit has responsibility for national surface transportation policy; construction and improvement of highway and transit facilities; implementation of safety and research programs; and regulation of commercial vehicle operations. As Congress prepares for the next Highway Bill, I will be working with my colleagues on the Subcommittee to ensure that an effective and robust Highway Bill becomes law. For every $1 billion spent in highway funding, over 40,000 jobs are created.

The Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, and international issues. Also, The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs, except of research activities. I look forward to my role on the Aviation Subcommittee to play an integral role in modernizing aviation policy.