Press Releases

Congressman Larry Bucshon, a physician from Southern Indiana who was recently selected to serve as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for the 114th Congress, will serve on three of the influential panel’s subcommittees.  Bucshon will join the Subcommittees on Environment and Economy, Health, as well as Oversight and Investigations.

Rep. Bucshon released the following statement regarding his new posts:

“I am looking forward to joining these important Subcommittees to help continue the committee’s bipartisan record of success,” said Bucshon. “As a physician, I will have the unique opportunity to help shape healthcare legislation that  expands access and improves quality of care for all Americans.  I am also pleased to join the Subcommittees tasked with exploring the intersection of regulations and the economy to protect vital jobs and our environment as well as rigorous oversight of agencies like HHS, EPA, and FDA to protect taxpayers.”

Upon announcing the new assignments, Committee Chairman Fred Upton said:

 “Our subcommittees are truly the legislative and oversight engines of the Energy and Commerce Committee, delivering an impressive record of bipartisan accomplishment. They ask the tough questions, explore big ideas, and generate policies to grow our economy and get bureaucracy out of the way so America can thrive in the 21st Century,” said Upton. “The members who will serve on each of our subcommittees will together offer a mix of policy experience and expertise, dogged oversight to protect taxpayers, and fresh new ideas to modernize cumbersome agencies and laws. I am excited about the good work our team will deliver in the coming year.”

Bucshon’s statement following his appointment to the full committee can be found here - http://bucshon.house.gov/press-release/dr-bucshon-serve-house-energy-and-commerce-committee.

BACKGROUND:  

The Committee on Energy and Commerce, the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee. Today it has responsibility for the nation's telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality, energy policy, and interstate and foreign commerce. It oversees multiple cabinet-level Departments and independent agencies, including the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, Commerce, and Transportation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission.

The Subcommittee on Environment and Economy has jurisdiction over:  All matters related to soil and water contamination, including Superfund and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the regulation of solid, hazardous, and nuclear wastes, including mining, nuclear, oil, gas, and coal combustion waste; emergency environmental response; industrial plant security, including cybersecurity; the regulation of drinking water (Safe Drinking Water Act), including underground injection of fluids (e.g., deep well injection or hydrofracking); toxic substances (Toxic Substances Control Act); noise; and all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

The Subcommittee on Health has jurisdiction over: Public health and quarantine; hospital construction; mental health; biomedical research and development; health information technology, privacy, and cybersecurity; public health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid) and private health insurance; medical malpractice and medical malpractice insurance; the regulation of food, drugs, and cosmetics; drug abuse; the Department of Health and Human Services; the National Institutes of Health; the Centers for Disease Control; Indian Health Service; and all aspects of the above-referenced jurisdiction related to the Department of Homeland Security.

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has responsibility for: Oversight of agencies, departments, and programs related to the jurisdiction of the full committee, and for conducting investigations.

*Information provided by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Find out more here – www.energycommerce.house.gov.