Meet the DC power crowd
For truckers with an eye on Capitol Hill, the T&I Committee is where the action is. Meet the committee and learn why it's so powerful.
Known to some as the “legislative trenches,” congressional committees are where the road starts for bills on Capitol Hill. Committees are where lawmakers hold hearings, draft, debate and amend legislation before it gets sent on for consideration by the full House or Senate.
Committees are also where the vast majority of the thousands of bills introduced every year die without having seen the light of day. To say the least, congressional committees are where the action is.
In the House of Representatives, far and away the most important committee for truckers is the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The “T&I” committee has jurisdiction over trucking, highway safety and highway funding matters, in addition to authority over all other modes of transportation – rail, aviation, maritime, etc.
The chairman of the committee is Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-MN. He controls the committee’s schedule and legislative agenda. Rep. John L. Mica, R-FL, is the “Ranking Member” or top Republican on the committee.
Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
U.S. House of Representatives 110th Congress
Democratic committee members in order of seniority are:
Chairman:
James L. Oberstar,
Chisolm, MN
Nick J. Rahall II, Beckley, WV
Peter A. DeFazio, Springfield, OR
Jerry F. Costello, Belleville, IL
Eleanor Holmes Norton,
Washington, DC
Jerrold Nadler, New York City, NY
Corrine Brown, Jacksonville, FL
Bob Filner, San Diego, CA
Eddie Bernice Johnson, Dallas, TX
Gene Taylor, Bay St. Louis, MS
Juanita Millender-McDonald,
Carson, CA
Elijah E. Cummings, Baltimore, MD
Ellen O. Tauscher, Alamo, CA
Leonard L. Boswell, Des Moines, IA
Tim Holden, St. Clair, PA
Brian Baird, Vancouver, WA
Rick Larsen, Lake Stevens, WA
Michael E. Capuano, Somerville, MA
Julia Carson, Indianapolis, IN
Timothy H. Bishop, Southampton, NY
Michael H. Michaud,
East Millinocket, ME
Brian Higgins, Buffalo, NY
Russ Carnahan, St. Louis, MO
John T. Salazar, Manassa, CO
Grace F. Napolitano, Norwalk, CA
Daniel Lipinski, Western Springs, IL
Doris O. Matsui, Sacramento, CA
Nick Lampson, Beaumont, TX
Zachary T. Space, Dover, OH
Mazie K. Hirono, Honolulu, HI
Bruce L. Braley, Waterloo, IA
Jason Altmire, North Hills, PA
Timothy J. Walz, Mankato, MN
Heath Shuler, Waynesville, NC
Michael A. Arcuri, Utica, NY
Harry E. Mitchell, Tempe, AZ
Christopher P. Carney, Dimock, PA
John J. Hall, Dover Plains, NY
Steve Kagen, Appleton, WI
Steve Cohen, Memphis, TN
Jerry McNerney, Pleasanton, CA
Republican committee members in order of seniority are:
Ranking Member: John L. Mica, Winter Park, FL
Don Young, Fort Yukon, AK
Thomas E. Petri, Fond du Lac, WI
Howard Coble, Greensboro, NC
John J. Duncan, Jr., Knoxville, TN
Wayne T. Gilchrest, Kennedyville, MD
Vernon J. Ehlers, Grand Rapids, MI
Steven C. LaTourette,
Madison Village, OH
Richard H. Baker, Baton Rouge, LA
Frank A. LoBiondo, Vineland, NJ
Jerry Moran, Hays, KS
Gary G. Miller, Diamond Bar, CA
Robin Hayes, Concord, NC
Henry E. Brown Jr., Hanahan, SC
Timothy V. Johnson, Urbana, IL
Todd Russell Platts, York, PA
Sam Graves, Tarkio, MO
Bill Shuster, Holidaysburg, PA
John Boozman, Rogers, AR
Jim Gerlach, West Pikeland Twp. PA
Mario Diaz-Balart, Miami, FL
Kenny Marchant, Carrollton, TX
Charles W. Dent, Allentown, PA
Ted Poe, Humble, TX
David G. Reichert, Auburn, WA
Connie Mack, Fort Myers, FL
John R. “Randy” Kuhl Jr., Hammondsport, NY
Lynn A. Westmoreland,
Sharpesburg, GA
Charles W. Boustany Jr., Lafayette, LA
Jean Schmidt, Loveland, OH
Candice S. Miller, Harrison Twp., MI
Thelma D. Drake, East Ocean View, VA
Mary Fallin, Oklahoma City, OK
Vern Buchanan, Sarasota, FL
T&I subcommittees Subcommittee on Highways and Transit: construction of roads and other transit facilities. It has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Transportation and some provisions of the Clean Air Act. Subcommittee on Aviation: jurisdiction over civil aviation, including most aspects of the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management: oversees many federal real estate and economic development programs. This subcommittee also manages the Federal Emergency Management Agency and certain aspects of the Department of Homeland Security. Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation: maritime safety, security, law enforcement, and defense. Additionally, the subcommittee exercises jurisdiction over merchant marine matters such as ocean shipping and cruise ships. The jurisdiction of this subcommittee does not extend to matters directly related to national defense, which are handled by the Committee on Armed Services. Subcommittee on Railroads: regulation of railroads, including economic regulations, Amtrak, rail safety and labor. Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment: jurisdiction over water conservation, pollution control, infrastructure, and hazardous waste cleanup. Among other things, this subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Clean Water Act. Chairwoman – Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, TX |
