Steering and Policy Committees of the United States House of Representatives
In the United States House of Representatives, the House Democratic Caucus includes a Steering and Policy Committee. Its primary purpose is to assign fellow party members to other House committees, and it also advises party leaders on policy. The House Republican Conference divides the duties of this committee between two groups: a Policy Committee and a Steering Committee.
House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
For the Democrats, the Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi in the 111th Congress) chairs the committee herself. When Democrats are in the minority, the minority leader chairs it. Two co-chairs, Rosa DeLauro for Steering and George Miller for policy matters, assist the Speaker, as they did then-Minority Leader Pelosi before Democrats took over the majority in January 2007.[1] [2]
House Republican Policy Committee
In the 111th Congress, Thaddeus McCotter chairs the Policy committee. He was preceded by Adam Putnam, who chaired the committee from February 2006 through the end of the 109th Congress.
House Republican Steering Committee
For House Republicans, the Steering committee is headed by the Speaker (if Republicans are in the majority) or the party's floor leader (if Republicans are in the minority). Under rules adopted after the 1994 Republican Revolution, the Speaker had five votes on the committee. The current Chairman of the Republican Steering Committee is John Bochner.[3]
The Republican counterpart in the Senate is the Committee on Committees. Senate Republicans also operate a Steering Committee to discuss policy issues.[4]
See also
References
- Wilson, James Q., and John J Diiulio, Jr. American Government, Eighth edition.
- http://www.rules.house.gov/archives/RS20930.pdf House Leadership Structure: Overview of Party Organization