Identifying Critical Legislators
Members of Congress, as well as state senators and representatives and city/village council members, serve on committees that govern a particular policy area, agency of government or function. You should take the time to find out which committees your representatives are on — this will help you better understand what they are most interested in and how you can make a connection.
This manual identifies members of key aging-related committees and subcommittees on the national level (comparable information should be available via the state legislature, Internet, library or other means at the local level). What follows is a current list of Congressional appropriators (those who determine the specific spending levels for discretionary programs like Older Americans Act, Social Services Block Grants or others) for the subcommittee which most aging programs are funded from. If your representative or senator is on this subcommittee, it is that much more important that you enlist their support for the work you do and the federal programs that support it.
Key Appropriators of the 110 th Congress*
(*January 2007-January 2009)
HOUSE Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
MAJORITY
Chair: David Obey (WI)
Nita M. Lowey (NY)
Rosa L. DeLauro (CT)
Jesse L. Jackson,Jr. (IL)
Patrick J. Kennedy (RI)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA)
Barbara Lee (CA)
Tom Udall (NM)
Michael Honda (CA)
Betty McCollum (MN)
Tim Ryan (OH)
MINORITY
Ranking Member: James T. Walsh (NY)
Ralph Regula (OH)
John E. Peterson (PA)
Dave Weldon (FL)
Michael K. Simpson (ID)
Dennis R. Rehberg (MT)
Jerry Lewis* (CA)
(*Ex Officio, Chair of the full Appropriations Committee)
SENATE Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
MAJORITY
Chair: Tom Harkin (IA)
Daniel Inouye (HI)
Herb Kohl (WI)
Patty Murray (WA)
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Dick Durbin (IL)
Jack Reed (RI)
Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
MINORITY
Ranking Member: Arlen Specter (PA)
Thad Cochran (MS)
Judd Gregg (NH)
Larry Craig (ID)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
Ted Stevens (AK)
Richard Shelby ( AL)