House Energy and Commerce: Change Comes to the Committee

Democratic members of Congress took the change theme to heart when they decided on new leadership for one of the most powerful committees in the United States House of Representatives shortly after Election Day.  For the first time in almost 30 years, the House Energy and Commerce Committee—with legislative and oversight jurisdiction including telecommunications, energy, environment and health care policy, as well as any legislative proposals addressing travel, tourism, and time—will have a new leader.  Congressman Waxman (D-CA) was elected by the Democratic Caucus to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee of the 111^th Congress.  (Henry Waxman’s Biography)

Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), Dean of the House with 52 years of service, was chairman or ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee from 1981 until congressional Democrats voted Henry Waxman (D-CA) into the post on November 20^th by a vote of the Democratic Caucus of 137 to 122, a margin of eight (8) votes.   As the longest serving member in the House of Representatives, former Committee Chair Dingell had tenure, skill, experience and wielded enormous influence inside the Congress, which he used to enact hundreds of pieces of legislation, and to protect the interests of his Michigan constituents (including the three domestic car-makers).  He, most notably, has been a life-long advocate of comprehensive national health care.  Former Committee Chair Dingell was also the stern and feared Chair of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.  He earned a reputation as an accomplished and able legislator. (John Dingell’s Biography)

Prior to 1981, Representative Dingell served as Chair of the Subcommittee known as Energy and Environment (most recently called the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality but, prior to that, known as the subcommittee on Fossil and Synthetic Fuels or the Energy and Power Subcommittee).  Dingell himself assumed his Energy Chairmanship in a revolt against seniority many years ago.  He and Congressman John Moss (D-NV) ascended to Subcommittee Chairmanship in the mutiny supported by the post-Watergate Class of 1974.

Chairman Waxman, who most recently served as Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has a noteworthy list of accomplishments in that post. Although Chairman Waxman did not chair the Oversight Committee until 2006, he had a cordial relationship with its Republican Chair dating from 1997.  As soon as the Democrats retook Congress, Chairman Waxman engaged in detailed and relentless oversight of the Bush Administration.  His national reputation as the premier oversight arm of Congress – keeping the Legislative branch an active and important protector of its prerogatives and policies, cannot be undersold.  The list of those hearings is included in the following link (110^th Oversight Hearings).  Chairman Waxman held the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and the Environment for 20 years.   The complete list of legislation enacted during his Health Subcommittee tenure is attached in the following link (Waxman Health Subcommittee Laws Enacted).  Also attached in the next link is a list of all legislation sponsored by Chairman-elect Waxman from the 94^th – 110^th Congress (a span of 32 years).  (Waxman Legislation)

The Chair of the new Energy and Environment Subcommittee will be Ed Markey (D-MA) (Ed Markey Biography), Chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which he will retain.  The immediate past Chair of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee, Rick Boucher (D-VA) (Rick Boucher Biography), will take Markey’s place as Chair of the Telecommunication Subcommittee.

Just last week, Congress set the size and ratios of Democrats to Republicans on the Committees of Congress and some new committee appointments were announced.  Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee held their own meeting to “organize,” assigning members to subcommittees, agreeing to committee rules and selecting staff as appropriate. One major overhaul made by Chairman Waxman was to change the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce subcommittees.  The Committee agreed to eliminate the two subcommittees that previously had split oversight and control over energy and environmental issues – the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee and the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee – and instead create an Energy and Environment Subcommittee.  Democrats have released a list of the new subcommittee chairs and membership but Republicans have not yet made decisions on subcommittee assignments for their members.  The most current list of subcommittee assignments is attached here (House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee assignments). 

Staffing the new Energy and Commerce Committee has also begun.  Several long-time Waxman staff will likely continue to help the new Chairman as he begins his tenure. Chairman Waxman's current Chief of Staff of his personal office, Phil Schiliro, is now the Director of Congressional Affairs for the Obama-Biden Transition Team and has been tapped by President-elect Obama to lead his White House office of Legislative Affairs.  Schiliro joined Waxman’s staff in 1982.  Karen Nelson, Health-Policy Director, who was first hired in 1978, and Phil Barnett, Chief of Staff at the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, who has worked for Chairman Waxman since 1989, will headline Chairman Waxman’s Energy and Commerce Committee appointments.  While the specific roles have yet to be decided, Greg Dotson, Alexandra Teitz and Melissa Bez are also expected to join the Committee staff.

The new Chairman also moved quickly to recruit some excellent staff from the ranks of the current Committee staff.  Air quality and climate change attorney Lorie Schmidt and energy law expert John Jimison have both accepted the invitation to stay past the handover of leadership.  Dingell has always had a reputation for hiring extremely competent professional staff and, therefore, the holdover offers are neither unexpected nor unusual, given the high degree of cooperation and competence displayed by both Members and staff on the vast majority of issues before the Committee.

To further inform readers of the changes that are taking place in this one Committee, key to House consideration of all energy and environmental issues, we will continue to provide updates as appropriate.