Authorizing Committees for Public Health
The various authorizing committees that have jurisdiction over health-related spending are as follows:
- House Committee on Ways and Means: Most of Medicare; the health care programs of the Social Security Act; and the tax credit and deduction provisions of the Internal Revenue Code related to health insurance premiums and health care costs.
- House Committee on Energy and Commerce: The remainder of Medicare; public health surveillance and quarantine; hospital construction; mental health and research; biomedical programs and health protection in general, including Medicaid and national health insurance; food and drugs; drug abuse; homeland security-related aspects of the above.
- House Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Department of Veterans Affairs' health care programs and the VA's health care system.
- Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry: Food, nutrition and hunger; Food Stamps; National School Lunch Program (NSLP); School Breakfast Program (SBP); Summer Food Service Program for Children (SFSP); Special Milk Program (SMP); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Nutrition Program for The Elderly (NPE).
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: Biomedical research and development; domestic activities of the American National Red Cross; occupational safety and health; public health (particularly bioterrorism preparedness and public health preparedness).
- Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Veterans' hospitals; medical care and treatment of veterans.
To find out which members of Congress are sitting on a given health-related authorizing committee, visit the following Web sites:
energycommerce.house.gov
waysandmeans.house.gov
veterans.house.gov
agriculture.senate.gov/sub.htm
help.senate.gov
veterans.senate.gov
close
