Washington, D.C. - Congressman G. K. Butterfield has been named the top ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce’s Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee.

“Given the extraordinary manufacturing jobs loss in eastern North Carolina over the past decade, this is an important place to be able to strongly influence national policy,” Butterfield said.

The subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes interstate and foreign commerce, including all trade matters within the jurisdiction of the full committee; regulation of commercial practices, including sports-related matters; consumer affairs, consumer protection, consumer product safety and product liability; motor vehicle safety; regulation of travel and tourism; and, toxic substances and noise pollution.

Butterfield was named ranking today during a Democratic organizational meeting of member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. As ranking member, Butterfield will serve as head of the nine Democrats serving on the subcommittee. Republicans will have 14 members serving on the subcommittee, which will be chaired by U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.). Butterfield served as a member of the subcommittee in the 111^th Congress.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce was established in 1795, and is among the oldest standing legislative committees in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The committee has the broadest jurisdiction of any authorizing committee in Congress, and oversees a range of cabinet-level departments and independent agencies, including the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, the Federal Trade Commission, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, the committee is responsible for dealing with matters related to telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health, energy policy, the environment, interstate commerce and technology.

Butterfield, who served as the vice chairman of the Energy Subcommittee in the 111^th Congress, will also serve as a member of the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.

At the start of the 112^th Congress, Butterfield was also reappointed to serve within the Democratic leadership as a chief deputy whip under House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

The chief deputy whips help formulate policy and are responsible for working to unify the party’s positions. The whips are also responsible for mobilizing the party vote on important legislation.