Committee on Energy and Commerce

Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán was appointed to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in 2019, becoming the first Latina in 10 years to hold a seat on this prestigious committee and only the second Latina ever to do so. The Committee is at the forefront of combating climate change and fighting back against the Trump Administration’s efforts to roll back critical environmental regulations. On the committee, Rep. Barragán serves as a voice for the communities that have been on the frontlines of the negative health impacts associated with climate change and environmental injustice. From fighting for comprehensive and affordable healthcare for all to ensuring clean air and clean water for our communities, she works tirelessly for her fellow Americans and the constituents of California’s 44th Congressional District.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has the broadest jurisdiction of any authorizing committee in Congress. It legislates on a wide variety of issues, including:

  • health care, including mental health and substance abuse
  • health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid
  • biomedical research and development
  • food, drug, device and cosmetic safety
  • environmental protection
  • clean air and climate change
  • safe drinking water
  • toxic chemicals and hazardous waste
  • national energy policy
  • renewable energy and conservation
  • nuclear facilities
  • electronic communications and the internet
  • broadcast and cable television
  • privacy, cybersecurity and data security
  • consumer protection and product safety
  • motor vehicle safety
  • travel, tourism and sports
  • interstate and foreign commerce

 

Subcommittees

Energy

Jurisdiction includes national energy policy; fossil energy; renewable energy; nuclear energy; nuclear facilities; the Department of Energy; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; synthetic and alternative fuels; energy conservation; energy information; utility issues; interstate energy compacts; energy generation, marketing, reliability, transmission, siting, exploration, production, efficiency, cybersecurity, and ratemaking for all generated power; pipelines; all laws, programs, and government activities affecting energy matters, including all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

 

Environment and Climate Change 

Jurisdiction includes the Clean Air Act and air emissions; all matters related to soil, air, and water contamination, including Superfund and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the regulation of solid, hazardous, and nuclear wastes, including mining, nuclear, oil, gas, and coal combustion waste; emergency environmental response; industrial plant security, including cybersecurity; the regulation of drinking water (Safe Drinking Water Act), including underground injection of fluids (e.g., deep well injection or hydrofracking); toxic substances (Toxic Substances Control Act); noise; and all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

 

Health

Jurisdiction includes public health and quarantine; hospital construction; mental health; biomedical research and development; health information technology, privacy, and cybersecurity; public health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid) and private health insurance; medical malpractice and medical malpractice insurance; the regulation of food, drugs, devices, cosmetics, and tobacco (the Food and Drug Administration); drug abuse; the Department of Health and Human Services; the National Institutes of Health; the Centers for Disease Control; Indian Health Service; and all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

Committee on Homeland Security

Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán is a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.  The committee has jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security, which includes U.S Customs & Border, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, U.S. Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration.  The committee also oversees federal interagency efforts with the Department of Homeland Security.

Congresswoman Barragán was appointed to the Committee on Homeland Security in 2017.  She is focused on deterring threats at the Port of Los Angeles, immigration enforcement practices, including fighting on behalf of deported veterans, and protecting the homeland from terrorists and emerging threats.

 

Subcommittees

 

Border and Maritime Security

The Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee is responsible for oversight of all relevant aspects of visa, border, port and maritime security, including Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Container Security Initiative, the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program, the Visa Waiver Program, and Biometric Entry-Exit, among others. It has oversight jurisdiction over 51% of the DHS budget, as well as four of its seven operational components including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

Oversight and Management Efficiency Subcommittee

Subcommittee focuses on probing homeland security programs and operations to promote efficiency and save taxpayer dollars. The Subcommittee rigorously monitors the management of the Department of Homeland Security, such as acquisition management, human capital issues, employee integrity, information technology issues, and financial systems.

Committee on Natural Resources 

Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán is a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources as of September 16, 2020.  The House Committee on Natural Resources advances the interests of the indigenous peoples and residents of the territories of the United States, and considers legislation and oversees federal conservation and species protection programs under the leadership of Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva.

 

Subcommittees – coming soon

Task Forces and Caucuses

Congressional Hispanic Caucus (2nd-Vice Chair) 

Rep. Barragán is proud to serve as the Second Vice-Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). The CHC is the frontline in combating the Trump Administration’s assault on our Hispanic communities, and as the next Second Vice-Chair, she is continuing the fight in addressing issues such as family separation, comprehensive immigration reform, access to healthcare and assisting our brothers and sisters with the rebuilding efforts of Puerto Rico.

The (CHC) was founded in December 1976 as a legislative service organization of the United States House of Representatives. Today, the CHC is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed by the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The CHC addresses national and international issues and crafts policies that impact the Hispanic community. The function of the Caucus is to serve as a forum for the Hispanic Members of Congress to coalesce around a collective legislative agenda. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

As the co-chair of the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Congressional Task Force, she works to bring awareness of how environmental conditions throughout the country have a disproportionate health impact on communities of color, low-income families, and other marginalized groups.

As a representative of the largest concentration of Croatian diaspora west of the Mississippi River, Rep. Barragán co-chairs the Congressional Croatian Caucus to work on promoting bilateral cultural exchange between the United Sates and Croatia. She also works to expand friendship through business facilitation and other ventures.

Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán is also a member of the following caucuses:

  • American Sikh Congressional Caucus
  • Artificial Intelligence Caucus
  • California Aerospace Caucus
  • Coast Guard Caucus
  • Congressional Animal Protection Caucus
  • Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth
  • Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues
  • Congressional Baseball Caucus
  • Congressional Diabetes Caucus
  • Congressional Homelessness Caucus
  • Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
  • Congressional Military-Veterans Caucus
  • Congressional Taiwan Caucus
  • Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Friends of Job Corps Congressional Caucus
  • Future Forum
  • Hidden Heroes Caucus
  • Manufacturing Caucus
  • Maritime Caucus
  • National Service Congressional Caucus
  • PORTS Caucus
  • Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition

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