Committees_Energy&Commerce

** Section 01 (9:30): McCarter, Sieckarski, Sousa **
1. **Mission Statement: ** The Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce is responsible for maintaining the status of energy and looking after the welfare of American citizens. Also, this committee looks after issues that correspond to the promotion of commerce, food and drug safety, public health research, telecommunications, foreign and interstate commerce, and to the interests of different markets.
 * This page has been updated to fix spelling errors and include information on the D.C. Voting Act. **



The decisions made by this committee affect the American people directly. Over the past few years they have passed the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Even more recently the [|Chairmen are requesting more information from Health Insurers].
 * 2. A Brief History: ** The Committee on Energy and Commerce was established on December 14, 1795, making this the oldest standing committee in the United States House of Representatives. Throughout these 200 years, there have been numerous name changes to this committee’s name. In 1819, when this committee was known as Committee on Commerce, the jurisdiction of this committee expanded to include foreign trade policies. Then in the year 1891, the name changed to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. This name lasted for 90 years until it changed to its current name today.

3. Official Charge: Throughout its existence, the Committee on Energy and Commerce has continued to expand its jurisdiction so that it is the broadest of today. This committee is responsible for food and drug safety, public health research, telecommunications, foreign and interstate commerce, and the availability of affordable energy. Over the years, this committee has become responsible for looking over the departments of Federal trade commission, Health and Human Services, Transportation, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission. In order to keep all of these areas under control, there are several different subcommittees including Oversight and Investigations, Communications, Technology, and Internet, Health, Energy and Environment, and Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Each of these individual subcommittees is responsible for dealing with the different issues that fall under its specific jurisdiction.

In total, there are fifteen jurisdictions for the Committee on Energy and Commerce. To begin, this committee looks into the national energy policy, health facilities, general interstate and foreign trade, consumer affairs and protection, interstate energy compacts, the conservation of energy resources, and general energy information. Another responsibility involves looking after energy resources and how they are produced, supplied, stored, marketed, priced and regulated. Along with all of this, the committee looks into the generation and marketing of power and the associated facilities, public health, the regulation of domestic nuclear energy, biomedical research and development, travel and tourism, and the management of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy. With so much that falls under this committee’s jurisdiction, there is no question why the Committee on Energy and Commerce has existed for as long as it has.  Today our committee worked on deciding whether or not to bring the following proposals to the table to put to a vote. We also added our own personal opinions on whether or not we believed that they should be passed. The issues below are from the Truman-era: After little debate, we have decided that we would not like to see this be passed. This is because even though it would be useful for many Americans, we see it as nearly impossible for the government to be able to afford this. It is possible to look into the amount of tax that there is on gas and possibly change that percent, however this seems unrealistic. Eventually the cost of oil will be forced to go up even if we keep the price relatively cheap. This may be asking for unnecessary debt. Also, in the end, this may cause Americans to cut down on other expenses. This was an issue that we decided was important enough that it should be put to a vote. It did not pass. After listening to the other committees speak, we ourselves changed our minds. Despite the fact that this is a great proposal, there are too many complications that go alone with it. Our first concern is how this is going to be financed. Many wonder if the federal government should be forced to pay the expenses or if people should be taxed more based upon their family income to be able to provide this to all Americans. It was even mentioned within our committee if those who make more money, if they should be the only ones taxed. Another concern is how much coverage there is going to be to each American. Is it all going to be the same for everyone or are those who have a greater income going to have more benefits and coverage. All in all, we believe that this proposal needs more work and that maybe in the future, some years from now, this can be brought up again. As a committee, we decided that this, if it is to be brought to the table, should be passed. This would bring about the growth of cities and give people more options of where to live. These new units would be brand new and would allow post-war families to start over again in a whole new environment. This act, which we believe should be called the Housing Act of 1949, would also clean up the slums and allow for more construction. This would also allow for conservation of certain areas. With an economy that is doing so well, why not allow all Americans to feel it. They should not be penalized because of the fact that they have lower incomes. Together as a committee, we decided that this proposal should be brought to the table for a vote. This was an act that deals with national defense and at this time in our nation, this needs to be addressed. After many supported this act, it was able to be passed unanimously. This act is now the largest public works project in history. It is estimated that this will cost about $25 million and will construct nearly 41,000 miles of interstate highways over a 20 year period. This act will allow for brand new roads to be constructed so that it will be easier to transport troops, nuclear weapons, and machinery in case of an emergency. This will also bring more commuters who work in suburban neighborhoods to work in the city, making more job opportunities. Even when family members are not working, this will allow for easier travel across country to possibly promote family vacations and road trips. 5. **Shall Congress also provide federal aid for urban mass transit systems? ** After some debate, there are mixed emotions about this proposal in our committee. Some believe that this will lead to future problems, such as if money is to run low, are the projects going to have to be stopped? Some fear that this will lead to the waste of billions of dollars if these projects will be started and never finished. While others believe that this is necessary in a city to make it functioning and working properly. Some believe that this will make commuting easier for those who live in the city areas. This is an issue that will have to be discussed more within our committee before we can make a decision on it.
 * __Agenda for February 12, 2010__**:
 * 1. Should Congress act to keep gasoline cheap so that Americans can commute from new suburbs to work? How? **
 * 2. Shall Congress pass a national health insurance to expand the New Deal? **
 * 3. Shall there be more federal funding for low-income public apartment housing in urban areas? **
 * 4. Shall Congress pass the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act to provide federal subsidies for interstate highway construction? **

These following issues are from the Eisenhower-era:  We believe that funding for solar and nuclear energy would be appropriate. This is because although we have enough fossil fuel available, and more fuel in the Middle East, we believe that the use of fossil fuels will increase quickly due to the building of highways and growing families. Eventually these fuels may diminish. Knowledge of soar and nuclear energy would be helpful at this time. We do believe that Congress should expand social security and in this they should also include disability benefits. This expansion is important also because of the women who are in and out of work.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Shoud Congress provide funding for solar and nuclear energy, or simply continue to rely on fossil fuels? **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Should Congress expand social security? **

Today in our committee, we discussed the following proposals during the 1960’s. We looked at the proposals and decided whether or not we wanted to bring them to a vote. One issue that we saw of great importance was the Social Security Act. This is why we brought it to a vote. It passed within congress with a majority vote of 15 to 9. Below are our reasons on why we believe that act, and others, should be passed from within congress.
 * <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Agenda for March 3, 2010 **

· **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Medicare: ** This is a social insurance program that will provide health insurance to people who are 65 and older. They must be legal residents of the United States and this will also include some hospital and medical insurance. This will help the elderly in our nation, those who are sometimes not able to help themselves. · **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Medicaid: ** This is a health program for eligible individuals and their families who have low incomes and resources. This will be managed by the states, funded by the states, and the federal government. This is why there will be a tax increase but this is important legislation for those who are less fortunate.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Social Security Act: ** As a part of this act, the retirement age for men would be moved to age 62. The tax rate will increase by 6% and widows will be able to collect benefits by age 60. We believe that these are very important seeming as the Vietnam War is occurring at this point in time, and the tax increase will assist with the following two parts of this act.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Urban Mass Transportation Act: ** This will cost $375 million for large-scale urban public or private rail projects in the form of matching funds to cities and states. This would also make the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. This committee is important because it will provide financial and technical assistance to local and public transit systems. This is an important act to pass because it will assist with up-keeping the roads and railways that are necessary for commuters and others.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Clean Air Act: ** This is an act “to improve, strengthen, and accelerate programs for the prevention and abatement of air pollution”. As a part of this act, there will be a grant for $95 million over a three year period that will be given to state and local governments and air pollution control agencies in order to conduct research and create control programs. This will also encourage the making of new technology that will remove sulfur from the harmful fuels. Also, we will encourage the development of emission standards from numerous sources. Pollution is slowly increasing and we need to start thinking about our future generations. A main concern of our generation should be what we are doing to protect our future generations from pollutant harm.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act: ** This will require tobacco companies to place the harmful warnings that cigarettes can cause on the packaging. Recently, as more research has been conducted, it has been found that there are links between health problems and risks and smoking. This is why it should be mandatory for companies to put these warnings on their products so that people can make more educated decisions on whether or not they should smoke.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Housing and Urban Development Act: ** This will extend the urban renewal programs set in motion by the 1949 act. This will extend the code enforcement program so that it is required of cities to enact codes specifying minimum standards for housing before they can participate in the urban renewal program. This program will help improve our cities even more than before and give people more options of where they can live.


 * <span style="color: #00b050; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The Committee on Energy and Commerce Opinion of the Civil Rights Legislation: **

Ashley: I personally believe that there are some changes that still need to be made to this piece of legislation. I am not opposed to it, although I do believe that there are necessary changes. First of all, I believe that we should make a separate committee that should be responsible for punishing those who are not allowing those of different races to register to vote. Also, I believe that if we are to do fines on people, we should fine them based upon their income. That way it is manageable for them to be able to pay and they will not want to go to jail just on the basis that they are not able to pay the fine. I do believe in many of the other parts that we have included in this act however. I believe that there should be no poll tax and there also should not be restrictions based upon sex, creed, race, or religion.
 * Sarah: ** I agree with this legislation, however it needs to be made more concrete. We need to form a subcommittee in another. Such as the Judiciary committie, so that there can be a specific group of people familiar with all the guidlines of this piece of legislation. However, a whole committee of about 35 people seems to large, so about 5 to 10 people of the judiciary committee need to make sure all regulations and punishments are being met. Also, i believe that fines should be based on who is stopping the right to vote in certain states. Such as a mayor will not be making as much money as say a governer. Therefore, there are some bugs to work out with the legislation, although i do agree with most of it.
 * <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Steve: **

**Ashley:** In my opinion, I agree with everything that has been passed today. Within the senate, I do support the resolution that a committee should be made to look into how far the corruption goes from the 1972 election. There may be many more people implicated in this scandal and it is up to us to get rid of the corrupt leaders in our nation. I also fully support the House of Representatives allowing committee member to investigate whether or not Nixon should be impeached. Nixon has shown us that his actions can be viewed as very skeptical. Also, I believe the way we have reviewed this impeachment is very good. I like how we decided to not put all the trust in just one committee and instead we have elected one person from each committee to help decide Nixon’s fate. After all is said and done, I do believe that President Nixon should be impeached. This man has made false statements to the American people and the officers in charge of this committee. Also, he has violated the constitutional rights of citizens. He has kept confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposes not authorized by law. On top of this, he allowed this burglary to happen and then made such an elaborate cover up in order to cover himself. All in all, President Nixon has violated too many laws. If we keep this man in office, we will look like a weak nation. We cannot keep a corrupt leader in power. This is just not the correct thing to do. With President Nixon, I do believe that he should be indicted. This will help to show members of this nation that no one is above the law. Nixon was in clear violation of numerous laws. He should have been indicted earlier except he could not be due to the fact that he was the standing president. Even though a fair trial may be difficult, it is worth a shot. This issue cannot just simply be dropped. Nixon was in clear violation of the Constitution and clearly abused his presidential powers. In the end, justice must be brought, even if it is against a former president of the United States of America. **Sarah:** It is obvious that Nixon is guilty of not only the break-in at Watergate, but in misuse of tax money and with holding important government information. He knows what he is doing, and it is evident when he turned over a tape with a large portion missing. Not only should a seperate committee be formed, so we can investigate Nixon as well as continue to handle other problems in these United States. Not only should Nixon be impeached, but he should also be charged when he becomes a citizen. A crime is a crime no matter what a person's title later becomes. If he is to get away with such crime, Congress will not only be defeated, but Americans will continue to not have faith in the government. Punishing Nixon will not completely restore faith in us, but it will restore some.
 * Agenda for March 24, 2010 **
 * Steve: ** In my opinion I believe that creating a committee to investigate the Watergate scandal is a great idea. The nation deserves to know if the Government is corrupt. We cannot afford to have the leader of our country breaking laws and doing things secretly without the members of the nation not knowing. This would make our government into a communist government rather. Along with the testimonies of Whitehouse officials saying that Nixon was a part of the scandal and his own actions toward not turning the tapes over is very suspicious. I believe and impeachment is the correct thing. We cannot leave the leader of the country being corrupt as it will look ad for the country and along with the world is also watching us.

<span style="color: #d86fd8; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Bills Submitted to Congress:** [|DC Voting Act] (Ashley and Steve) [|Elderly Driving] (Sarah) -Both bills were reported out as of Congress Day 6. The revised verision of the DC Voting Act is linked above. The original may be found on the Congress Hopper page.

Congress Days 5-8 Ashley and Steve: Throughout these numerous congress meetings we have come up with legislation to be passed. Steve and I came together and tried to have Washington D.C. have equal representation in Congress. Then, the proper steps would be taken to make this a state. Originally we just wanted to have D.C. have equal representation. However, the more I debated about this, the more I thought that this would create problems. This is due to the fact that the Constitution would need to be changed. Changes would be necessary because the Constitution states that to have equal representation; the area needs to be an actual state, not just considered a state. I believed that this would create more problems because any amendment that would be made to the Constitution could easily be reversed by another amendment. This is why I wanted the proper steps taken for D.C. to become a state. When our bill came up for a vote, there were several issues surrounding it. First off, some thought that this area was not capable of supporting itself, even though 500,000 more people live here than in Wyoming. Then, there were issues with how quickly the elections were to take place. This is why I offered up an amendment to the bill that would change it from 30 days to 120 days. I also wanted to make it a point that first off I wanted D.C. to have proper representation and then be made into a state. I viewed it more important for them to have equal representation, seeming as they live in the United States of America and do not have the same equality of millions of others. After some debate our bill was defeated. Sarah: My bill was to create a safer driving environment for all by making sure elderly drivers were capable of driving safely. The age of elderly was changed from 60 to 65 and the time between testing changed from 10 years to 5 years. The bill was then passed by congress without much other debate.

Section 06 (10:30): Davis, Mardirosian

 * Mission Statement: ** The Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce works to protect the present and future population of the United States by overseeing affordable energy and overseeing the departments of Health and Human Services. They have been responsible for the passage of many big legislation such as the Clean Air Act, and Federal Trade Commission Act.


 * History: **The Committee of Energy and Congress is the oldest standing legistlative committee in the House of Representatives. It was established on December 14th 1975. Since the committee's establishment the name has changed many times. It originally was established under the name, The Committee on Commerce and Manufactures, during this time they regulated Commerce between many foreign nations and several states in the U.S. In 1819 the name changed again to the Committee on Commerce when they took on the responsibility of overseeing the nascent federal health service and foreign trade policies. In 1891 the name was again changed to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Finally in 1981 the name made its final to change to the Committee on Energy and Commerce to show it’s dedication to it’s work in the nation’s energy policy. The current chairperson of the committee is Joe Barton of the people of Texas’ Sixth Congressional District.


 * Official Charge: **The Committee of Energy and Commerce has expanded it's jurisdiction immensely since it's establishment. Today that are responsible for telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality, the availability of affordable energy, and the continuance of interstate and foreign commerce. They oversee the departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Transportation, as well as the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission. They were responsible for the passage for big acts of legislation such as the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act. There are many subcommittees that overlook the different areas that fall under their jurisdiction.


 * Truman-Era Issues: **

It is important to try and keep gasoline as cheap as possible so that Americans will be able to commute from the suburbs, however it is difficult to do so because of our dependency on fossil fuels from the Middle East. The best way solution that we see fit is to provide federal aid for the urban mass transit system. If more people in cities are taking advantage of public transportation, that would decrease the number of cars driving, making the demand for gas lower, therefore allowing us to keep the price of gasoline as cheap as possible. Although it seems inevitable that the price of gas will have to go up at some point because of the growing population and the American peoples' want for their own vehical.
 * //Should Congress act to keep gasoline cheap so that Americans can commute from new suburbs to work? How?//**

There should be more federal funding for low-income public apartment housing in urban areas. Although the country as a whole is currently in great economic shape, the return of all these soliders will lead to shortages of jobs at some point. It is our job to be able to provide housing options for people of all economic statuses, and not everyone will be able to afford a house in the suburb. By funding low-income public aparements we will be able to ensure that more people will be able to have a place to live and keep more Americans off the streets.
 * //Shall there be more federal funding for low-income public apartments housing in urban areas?//**

The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act is vital and should be passed by Congress. Currently there is not many roadways that connect states together, nevermind multiple states. If there was ever an attack on the United States there would be no quick escape route, or way for military aid to get to a state quickely. The interstate highway system would provide a sense of security and give the military a way to plan for an attack.
 * //Shall Congress pass the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act to provide federal subsidies for interstate highway construction?//**

As currently stated we feel that federal aid should be provided for the urban mass transit systems. The systems would allow for citites to run more efficiently. It will also help to cut down in the amout of emissions that are being sent into the atmosphere. It is our belief that people will use this system and it will cut down on the amount of vehicals in the city. Not only will this help eleminate the amount of traffic in the city (allowing easier travel), but it will slightly help with the amount of gasoline and fossil fuels being consummed, hopefully allowing the gas prices to stay low. While this is a costly project, we feel in the end the money will be well worth it.
 * //Shall Congress also provide federal aid for urban mass transit systems?//**


 * Eisenhower-Era Issues: **

We believe that it is vital that federal funding be provided in order to find alternative ways of getting energy. Fossil fuels are limited and at some point in time we will run out of it. We need to be prepared with the knowledge for how we would provide energy to people when this happens. Although it is a big expense right now, in the long run it would save us millions of dollars that we would be paying to the Middle East for their fossile fuels. It would also decrease our dependency on other countries.
 * //Should Congress providing federal funding for the exploration of solar-powered energy and other alternatives to the use of fossil fuel?//**

We believe that Congress shall expand Social Security and within the expansion include disability benefits.
 * //Shall Congress expand Social Security?//**

**What should have been done with Nixon before Ford's pardon?**
 * __Steven__: (Section 1) ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">In my opinion I feel that Nixon should have been charged for his involvement in Watergate scandal. Nixon resigning from his position was no way near being a punishment. He committed a crime and must be punished for doings just like any other fellow American. He was no longer president therefore there is no excuse not to be prosecuted. Letting him walk freely for his actions is just an act of stupidity and failure of justice. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Everyone else who was involved was prosecuted even though they were White House officials therefore so should Nixon.

**__Rebecca__:** I feel that Nixon should have been charged for his involvment in Watergate as a regular citizen. Although he was no longer in a position of power, he was during the time of the offense. The crimes he committed are felonies that any other regular citizen would have been prosecuted for, and Nixon should have been no different. His resignation from office was not a punishment, and he should have been subject to prosecution like all the other White House officials who were involved in the break-in were.

Bills Submitted to Congress: ** The Committee of Energy and Commerce submitted one bill that is currently being overlooked by the Armed Services Committee The bill was reported out and revised. Both versions can be found on the Hopper Page and the new version can be found here: [|Mental Health Care for Veterans Act] This bill had a **small debate** over the facilities proposed in this bill would be different than the hundreds of VA hospitals in the United States. It was **passed** and **signed** by a vote of **__20 in favor, and 2 omissions__**. Three bills that were sumbitted to Congress were asked to be looked over by the Comittee of Energy and Commerce. None of them were reported out. They all can be found on the Hopper Page or on the link below [|Texting While Driving] This bill was **passed** and **signed** with **__no debate__** [|Electronics Tariff] This bill was **defeated** by a **__1-19__** vote. [|Music Sharing] This bill was **passed** and **signed** after **heavy debate** by a vote of **__11 in favor, 7 opposed and 2 omissions__**.
 * Bills Submitted to Congress, Overlooked by the Committee of Energy and Commerce:**