Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi yesterday announced that the Democratic Caucus approved a series of appointments of new and returning Members of Congress to House committee seats in the 113th Congress. The newest members of the Washington State Delegation received favorable committee assignments, as follows.
Armed Services – Congressman-elect Derek Kilmer
The House Armed Services committee has exclusive jurisdiction for: defense policy generally, ongoing military operations, the organization and reform of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, counter-drug programs, acquisition and industrial base policy, technology transfer and export controls, joint interoperability, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, Department of Energy nonproliferation programs, and detainee affairs and policy. Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) is the Ranking Member of this committee.
Budget – Congressman-elect Denny Heck
The House Budget Committee is responsible for the annual adoption of a concurrent resolution on the budget as a mechanism for setting forth aggregate levels of spending, revenue, the surplus or deficit, and public debt. This is a coveted committee position for the Congressman-elect.
Judiciary – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene
Among other things, the jurisdiction of the House Committee on the Judiciary includes Immigration policy and non-border enforcement; Interstate compacts; Patents, the Patent and Trademark Office, copyrights, and trademarks; Civil liberties; Constitutional amendments; and Criminal law enforcement; Federal courts and judges.