House Labor Committee Now 30-18 in Democrats' Favor
We now know the lineup of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee in the 111th Congress. Democrats hold a 30-18 majority, including one Democratic vacancy listed on the committee's member list this morning. Six new Democrats have joined the committee: Reps. Marcia Fudge (Ohio), Pedro Pierluisi (Puerto Rico), Jared Polis (Colorado), Dina Titus (Nevada), and Paul Tonko (New York) and Del. Gregoria Sabian (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Tonko has expressed interest in job training, education, and "green collar" jobs; Titus, representing southern Nevada, was minority leader of her state's Senate for 15 years before winning her congressional seat in November 2008.
There's little change in the subcommittees most important to safety and health professionals: the Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which is chaired by Rep. Robert Andrews, D-N.J., has a 13-8 Democratic advantage, and the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, which is chaired by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., is 7-4 in her party's favor.