Committees and Caucuses

Committees and Leaderhsip Roles in the 112th Congress

Congressman Cohen will serve in the 112th Session of the U.S. House of Representatives in the following leadership roles and committees:

• Regional Whip - In this capacity, Congressman Cohen will count votes for Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (MD-05) and represent Region VII, a territory which includes Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina.  Congressman Cohen will be responsible for relaying concerns and questions about legislation from his Members to the Minority Whip and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.  Additionally, as a Regional Whip, Congressman Cohen will frequently be asked to participate in floor discussions of bills.
• Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law - In only his second term, Congressman Cohen was voted by his colleagues in the influential House Committee on the Judiciary to chair a similar subcommittee in the 111th Congress.   In the 112th Congress, he will serve as Ranking Member on this influential subcommittee. This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the following subject matters: bankruptcy and commercial law, bankruptcy judgeships, administrative law, independent counsel, state taxation affecting interstate commerce, interstate compacts, other appropriate matters as referred by the chairman, and relevant oversight.
• Member, House Committee on the Judiciary - In addition to serving as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law, Congressman Cohen will also sit on the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.  The House Committee on the Judiciary is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement entities.
• Member, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee - Congressman Cohen will serve on the Subcommittee on Aviation, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit and the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
• Member, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe - Congressman Cohen was nominated by Leader Pelosi and appointed by Speaker Boehner to the serve as one of the nine House members on the Helsinki Commission.

Helsinki Commission

The Committee on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is a U.S. government body charged with monitoring compliance with the Helsinki Accords. The purpose of the Helsinki Accords is to improve relations between the states of the former Communist bloc and the West following détente with the Soviet Union. Congressman Cohen was nominated to the Commission in March of 2011 by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and appointed by Speaker John Boehner.

Congressional Caucuses

Congressional caucuses (sometimes called coalitions, task forces, working groups, or study groups) are groups formed Members of Congress who share common interests in order to provide a forum for specific issues or legislative goals. Caucuses are registered with the Committee on House Administration, but are otherwise informal. Congressman Cohen is a member of the following Congressional caucuses:

• 21st Century Health Care Caucus 
• Americans Abroad Caucus
• Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson's Disease
• Bi-partisan Bicameral Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease
• Bi-partisan Pro Choice Caucus
• Class of 2006 Caucus
• Congenital Heart Caucus
• Congressional African Partnership for Economic Growth Caucus
• Congressional Animal Protection Caucus
• Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Baltic Caucus
• Congressional Bike Caucus
• Congressional Caucus on Brazil
• Congressional Caucus on Infant Health and Safety
• Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention
• Congressional Caucus on the Mississippi River
• Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands
• Congressional Caucus on Turkey
• Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans
• Congressional Children's Health Care Caucus
• Congressional Climate Change Caucus
• Congressional Collegiate Sports Caucus
• Congressional Cystic Fibrosis Caucus
• Congressional Community College Caucus
• Congressional Diabetes Caucus
• Congressional Documentary Film and Book Caucus
• Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus
• Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus
• Congressional French Caucus
• Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus
• Congressional Friends of Canada Caucus
• Congressional Gaming Caucus
• Congressional Green Schools Caucus
• Congressional HIV / AIDS Caucus
• Congressional Human Rights Caucus & Anti-Semitism Task Force
• Congressional Humanities Caucus
• Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus
• Congressional Medical Technology Caucus
• Congressional Multiple Sclerosis Caucus
• Congressional Osteoperosis Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Russia Caucus
• Congressional Songwriters Caucus
• Congressional Steel Caucus
• Congressional Stop DUI Caucus
• Congressional Study Group on Europe
• Congressional Taskforce on Alzheimer's Disease
• Congressional Taskforce on Tobacco and Health
• Congressional TRIO Caucus
• Congressional Urban Caucus
• Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus
• Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus
• Crohn's & Colitis Caucus
• Friends of Scotland Caucus
• Friends of Thailand Caucus
• Historic Preservation Caucus
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus
• House Cancer Caucus
• House Democratic Caucus Livable Communities Task Force
• House General Aviation Caucus
• House Mississippi River Delta Caucus
• House Nursing Caucus
• House Professional Sports Caucus
• House Small Brewers Caucus
• Human Trafficking Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Job Corps Congressional Caucus
• Jobs NOW! Congressional Caucus
• Library of Congress Congressional Caucus
• Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Caucus
• National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus
• National Heritage Area Caucus
• Out of Afghanistan Caucus
• Out of Iraq Caucus
• Out of Poverty Caucus
• Passenger Rail Caucus
• Pediatric Cancer Caucus
• Populist Caucus
• Public Broadcasting Caucus
• Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus
• Sudan Caucus
• Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition
• Tennessee Valley Authority Congressional Caucus
• Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
• Tunisia Caucus