The United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) generally considers matters relating to these issues. Its jurisdiction also extends beyond these issues to include several more specific areas, as defined by

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

rules.

History

While it is currently known as the HELP Committee, the committee was originally founded on January 28, 1869, as the Committee on Education. Its name was changed to the Committee on Education and Labor on February 14, 1870, when petitions relating to labor were added to its jurisdiction from the Committee on Naval Affairs. The committee’s jurisdiction at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries focused largely on issues relating to federal employees’ working conditions and federal education aid. Prominent action considered by the committee in the 1910s and 1920s included the creation of a

national minimum wage The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 (c. 39) creates a minimum wage across the United Kingdom.. E McGaughey, ''A Casebook on Labour Law'' (Hart 2019) ch 6(1) From 1 April 2025, the minimum wage is £12.21 per hour for people aged 21 and over, £10. ...

, the establishments of a

Department of Labor A ministry of labour (''British English, UK''), or labor (''American English, US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workfor ...

, a

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, and a Children’s Bureau. During the 1930s, the committee took action on the

National Labor Relations Act The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, is a foundational statute of United States labor law that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, an ...

, the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act of 1936 and the

Fair Labor Standards Act The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) is a United States labor law that creates the right to a minimum wage, and " time-and-a-half" overtime pay when people work over forty hours a week. It also prohibits employment of minors in "oppre ...

of 1938. In 1944, the jurisdiction of the

Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant Se ...

was transferred from the Commerce Committee to the Committee on Education and Labor, adding issues relating to public health matters to its jurisdiction. The committee's name was changed during the

80th Congress The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1947 ...

to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare as part of the

Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (also known as the Congressional Reorganization Act, ch. 753, , enacted August 2, 1946) was the most comprehensive reorganization of the United States Congress in history to that date. Background The ...

(Public Law 79-601). The act further expanded the committee's oversight to include the rehabilitation, health, and education of veterans. Mine safety was also added to the committee’s jurisdiction in 1949. During the Administration of President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

, the committee took the lead in shaping legislation as part of Johnson's War on Poverty, resulting in the

Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 () authorized the formation of local Community Action Agencies as part of the War on Poverty. These agencies are directly regulated by the federal government. "It is the purpose of The Economic Opportunity A ...

. Through the

Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 () was an act of the United States Congress to "improve the operation of the legislative branch of the Federal Government, and for other purposes." The act focused mainly on the rules that governed congre ...

(Public Law 91-510), certain issues pertaining to veterans were transferred to the newly created Committee on Veterans Affairs. In the 95th Congress, the Senate passed S. Res. 4, which renamed the committee to be the Committee on Human Resources. However, the name was again changed in the

96th Congress The 96th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1979 ...

by S. Res. 30 to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources. On March 18, 1992, the committee’s jurisdiction was updated to include all of the areas listed below. The committee was given its current name, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, on January 19, 1999, by S. Res. 20. On July 25, 2024, the committee voted 16-4 to issue its first-ever

subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...

, compelling the testimony of Steward Health Care's CEO

Ralph de la Torre Ralph de la Torre is a Cuban Americans, Cuban American former Health administration, health care executive and Cardiac surgery, cardiac surgeon. The Chief executive officer, CEO of Steward Health Care System, Steward Health Care from 2010 to 20 ...

in relation to accusations of mismanagement of the health system.

Jurisdictional areas

Under the Rule 25 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following subject matters fall under the jurisdiction of the Committee: *Measures relating to education, labor, health, and

public welfare Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance p ...

*Aging *

Agricultural college This article lists agricultural universities and colleges around the world, by continent and country. Africa Algeria * Higher National Agronomic School (French name: Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique) Benin * Agricultural University ...

s *Arts and humanities *

Biomedical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

and development *

Child labor Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...

* Convict labor and the entry of goods made by convicts into

interstate commerce The Commerce Clause describes an enumerated power listed in the United States Constitution ( Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power "to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and amon ...

*Domestic activities of the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

* Equal employment opportunity *

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school ...

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, and

St. Elizabeths Hospital St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast Washington, D.C. operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health. The hospital opened in 1855 under the name Government Hospital for th ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

*Individuals with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

*Labor standards and labor statistics *

Mediation Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...

and

arbitration Arbitration is a formal method of dispute resolution involving a third party neutral who makes a binding decision. The third party neutral (the 'arbitrator', 'arbiter' or 'arbitral tribunal') renders the decision in the form of an 'arbitrati ...

labor dispute A labor dispute is a disagreement between an employer and employees regarding the terms of employment. This could include disputes regarding conditions of employment, fringe benefits, hours of work, tenure, and wages to be negotiated during ...

s *

Occupational Safety and Health Administration The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA; ) is a regulatory agency of the United States Department of Labor that originally had federal visitorial powers to inspect and examine workplaces. The United States Congress established ...

, including the welfare of miners. *

Mine Safety and Health Administration The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) () is a small agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) to enforce compliance with mandatory sa ...

*Private

pension A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a " defined benefit plan", wh ...

plans *

Public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

*Railway labor and retirement *Regulation of foreign laborers *

Student loan A student loan is a type of loan designed to help students pay for post-secondary education and the associated fees, such as tuition, books and supplies, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in the fact that the interest ...

s *Wages and hours of labor, including the federal minimum wage

Members, 119th Congress

Subcommittees

Historical members

110th Congress

111th Congress

The Committee was chaired by Democrat

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

until his death on August 25, 2009. Under

seniority Seniority is the state of being older or placed in a higher position of status relative to another individual, group, or organization. For example, one employee may be senior to another either by role or rank (such as a CEO vice a manager), or by ...

rules, Acting Chairman

Christopher Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. ...

was next in line, but Dodd chose instead to remain chairman of the

Senate Banking Committee The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (formerly the Committee on Banking and Currency), also known as the Senate Banking Committee, has jurisdiction over matters related to banks and banking, price controls, ...

Tom Harkin Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Pa ...

, next in line by seniority, assumed the chairmanship on September 9, 2009, vacating his post as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Republican

Mike Enzi Michael Bradley Enzi ( ; February 1, 1944 – July 26, 2021) was an American politician who served in the United States Senate from Wyoming as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party from 1997 to 2021. Prior to his te ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

continued to serve as

Ranking Member In United States politics, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as ''ex officio'' members ...

. Source: ,

112th Congress

Source:

113th Congress

Source: to 297

114th Congress

Source Source: to 68

115th Congress

116th Congress

117th Congress

118th Congress

;Subcommittees

Defunct subcommittees

The committee has had other subcommittees in the past, such as: * the Subcommittee on Migratory Labor during the 1950s through 1970s. * the Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research during the 1970s. * the Subcommittee Investigating Violations of Free Speech and the Rights of Labor, informally known as the "La Follette Civil Liberties Committee"

Chairpersons

Education 1869–1870

* Charles D. Drake (R-MO) 1869–1870

Education and Labor, 1870 – 1947

* Frederick Sawyer (R-SC) 1870–1873 *

James W. Flanagan James Winright Flanagan (September 5, 1805September 28, 1887) was an American merchant, lawyer, and farmer from Henderson, Texas. Although never officially inaugurated, he briefly served as the lieutenant governor of Texas in 1870, before leavin ...

(R-TX) 1873–1875 * Orris S. Ferry (R-CT) 1875 * John J. Patterson (R-SC) 1875–1877 *

Ambrose Burnside Ambrose Everts Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the American Civil War and a three-time Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successfu ...

(R-RI) 1877–1879 * James E. Bailey (D-TN) 1879–1881 * Henry W. Blair (R-NH) 1881–1891 * Joseph M. Carey (R-WY) 1891–1893 * James H. Kyle (PO-SD) 1893–1895 * George Shoup (R-ID) 1895–1897 * James H. Kyle (PO-SD) 1897–1901 * Louis McComas (R-MD) 1901–1905 * Boies Penrose (R-PA) 1905 * Jonathan P. Dolliver (R-IA) 1905–1909 * William E. Borah (R-ID) 1909–1913 * Hoke Smith (D-GA) 1913–1919 * William S. Kenyon (R-IA) 1919–1922 * William E. Borah (R-ID) 1922–1924 * Lawrence C. Phipps (R-CO) 1924–1926 *

James Couzens James Joseph Couzens (August 26, 1872October 22, 1936) was an American businessman, politician and philanthropist. He served as mayor of Detroit (1919–1922) and U.S. Senator from Michigan (1922–1936). Prior to entering politics he served as ...

(R-MI) 1926–1929 * Jesse H. Metcalf (R-RI) 1929–1933 * David I. Walsh (D-MA) 1933–1937 * Hugo L. Black (D-AL) 1937 *

Elbert D. Thomas Elbert Duncan Thomas (June 17, 1883February 11, 1953) was a United States Democratic Party, Democratic Party politician from Utah. He represented Utah in the United States Senate from 1933 until 1951. He served as the Chair of the Senate Educati ...

(D-UT) 1937–1945 * James E. Murray (D-MT) 1945–1947

Labor and Public Welfare, 1947–1977

Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate majority le ...

(R-OH) 1947–1949 *

(D-UT) 1949–1951 * James E. Murray (D-MT) 1951–1953 * H. Alexander Smith (R-NJ) 1953–1955 * Lister Hill (D-AL) 1955–1969 * Ralph Yarborough (D-TX) 1969–1971 * Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (D-NJ) 1971–1977

Human Resources, 1977–1979

* Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (D-NJ) 1977–1979

Labor and Human Resources, 1979–1999

* Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (D-NJ) 1979–1981 * Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) 1981–1987 *

(D-MA) 1987–1995 *

Nancy Kassebaum Nancy Josephine Kassebaum Baker (; born July 29, 1932) is an American retired politician from Kansas who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1978 to 1997. She is the daughter of Alf Landon, who was Governor of Kansas from 1933 t ...

(R-KS) 1995–1997 * James M. Jeffords (R-VT) 1997–1999

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, 1999–present

* James M. Jeffords (R-VT) 1999–2001 *

(D-MA) 2001 * James M. Jeffords (R-VT) 2001 *

(D-MA) 2001–2003 *

Judd Gregg Judd Alan Gregg (born February 14, 1947) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 76th governor of New Hampshire from 1989 to 1993 and a United States senator from New Hampshire from 1993 to 2011 where he was Chairman of the Heal ...

(R-NH) 2003–2005 * Michael Enzi (R-WY) 2005–2007 *

(D-MA) 2007–2009 *

Chris Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the List of United Sta ...

(D-CT) 2009, acting *

(D-IA) 2009–2015 *

Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. (born July 3, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1 ...

(R-TN) 2015–2021 *

Patty Murray Patricia Lynn Murray (, October 11, 1950) is an American politician serving in her sixth term as a United States senator from Washington (state), Washington, beginning her tenure in 1993, and is the state's Seniority in the United States Senate, ...

(D-WA) 2021–2023 *

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

(I-VT) 2023–2025 *

Bill Cassidy William Morgan Cassidy (born September 28, 1957) is an American physician and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from Louisiana, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the Republic ...

(R-LA) 2025–present

References

External links

Official Committee PageArchive

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Legislation activity and reports,

Congress.gov Congress.gov is the online database of United States Congress legislative information. Congress.gov is a joint project of the Library of Congress, the House, the Senate and the Government Publishing Office. Congress.gov was in beta in 2012, and ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:United States Senate Committee On Health, Education, Labor And Pensions Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Health in the United States Education in the United States Retirement in the United States 1869 establishments in the United States Labor in the United States Parliamentary committees on Healthcare