Congressman Tom McClintock Appointed to Resources Committee and Education & Labor Committee

Congressman Tom McClintock achieved a key goal today and announced he has been appointed as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.

“I have made my appointment to Natural Resources Committee a top priority because of the tremendous impact it has on our district. The 4th Congressional District is one of the most resource-rich districts in the United States,” McClintock said. “I will work hard to make sure those resources are used wisely to help restore economic prosperity to the people of our community. Too often the federal government has prevented our people from benefiting from the water, timber and mineral resources in our area, and I intend to work with local businesses and leaders to tap these assets and help create jobs and economic opportunity in these tough economic times.”

McClintock has also been appointed to the House Committee on Education & Labor. The committee has jurisdiction over education and workplace issues. “The Education and Labor Committee will be ground zero in the debate over federal encroachment into local schools and businesses and I look forward to joining that battle,” McClintock said.

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The Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over key issues affecting resource management issues in the district including:
•    Fisheries and wildlife.
•    Forest reserves and national parks.
•    Irrigation and reclamation, including water supply for reclamation projects and easements of public lands for irrigation projects.
•    Native Americans, including the care and allotment of Native American lands.
•    Mineral land laws and claims.
•    Mineral resources of public lands.
•    Petroleum Conservation on public lands.
•    Preservation of prehistoric ruins.
•    Public lands including entry, easements and grazing.
•    Relations with Native Americans and Native American tribes.
The Committee on Education and Labor oversees federal programs and initiatives dealing with education at all levels -- from preschool through high school to higher education and continuing education. These include:
•    Elementary and secondary education initiatives, including the No Child Left Behind Act, school choice for low-income families, special education (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), teacher quality & teacher training, scientifically-based reading instruction, and vocational and technical education;
•    Higher education programs (the Higher Education Act), to support college access for low and middle-income students and help families pay for college;
•    Early childhood & preschool education programs including Head Start;
•    School lunch and child nutrition programs;
•    Financial oversight of the U.S. Department of Education;
•    Programs and services for the care and treatment of at-risk youth, child abuse prevention, and child adoption;
•    Educational research and improvement;
•    Adult education; and
•    Anti-poverty programs, including the Community Services Block Grant Act and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

The Committee also has jurisdiction over workplace issues including:
•    Pension and retirement security for U.S. workers;
•    Access to quality health care for working families and other employee benefits;
•    Job training, adult education, and workforce development initiatives, including those under the   Workforce Investment Act (WIA), to help local communities train and retrain workers;
•    Continuing the successful welfare reforms of 1996;
•    Protecting the democratic rights of individual union members;
•    Worker health and safety, including occupational safety and health;
•    Providing greater choices and flexibility (including "comp time" or family time options) to working women and men;
•    Equal employment opportunity and civil rights in employment;
•    Wages and hours of labor, including the Fair Labor Standards Act;
•    Workers' compensation, and family and medical leave;
•    All matters dealing with relationships between employers and employees.