examples of committee assignments

Congressional Committees

Committees decide which bills and resolutions move forward to consideration by the House or Senate as a whole. Committee chairs have enormous influence over this process.

#protip: To track upcoming committee meetings, check out Congress.gov’s committee meetings calendar .

Committee meetings each weekday over the last year. Darker is more meetings.

Senate Committees

Agriculture, nutrition, and forestry, appropriations, armed services, banking, housing, and urban affairs, commerce, science, and transportation, energy and natural resources, environment and public works, foreign relations, health, education, labor, and pensions, homeland security and governmental affairs, indian affairs, intelligence, rules and administration, small business and entrepreneurship, united states senate caucus on international narcotics control, veterans' affairs, house committees, agriculture, education and the workforce, energy and commerce, financial services, foreign affairs, homeland security, house administration, house select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic, house select subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government, natural resources, oversight and accountability, science, space, and technology, small business, strategic competition between the united states and the chinese communist party, transportation and infrastructure, ways and means, joint committees.

The joint committees are made up of both senators and representatives. They typically have an oversight or policy role but no legislative duties.

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Joint Committee on Printing

Joint Committee on Taxation

Joint Committee on the Library

Joint Economic Committee

While the Joint Committees on Printing and the Library have nominal responsibility for oversight of the Government Publishing Office and the Library of Congress, respectively, the committees are essentially defunct and oversight takes place within the majority party leadership of each chamber.

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12.6 Committees

Learning objectives.

After reading this section, you should be able to answer the following questions:

• What criteria do members use when seeking congressional committee assignments?
• What are the prestige committees in the House and Senate?
• What is the function of investigative committees?

In 1885, Woodrow Wilson famously observed, “Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work” (Wilson, 1885). This statement is no less true today. Committees are the lifeblood of Congress. They develop legislation, oversee executive agencies and programs, and conduct investigations.

There are different types of committees that are responsible for particular aspects of congressional work. Standing committees are permanent legislative committees. Select committees are special committees that are formed to deal with a particular issue or policy. Special committees can investigate problems and issue reports. Joint committees are composed of members of the House and Senate and handle matters that require joint jurisdiction, such as the Postal Service and the Government Printing Office. Subcommittees handle specialized aspects of legislation and policy.

Committee Assignments

Members seek assignments to committees considering the overlapping goals of getting reelected, influencing policy, and wielding power and influence. They can promote the interests of their constituencies through committee service and at the same time help their chances at reelection. Members from rural districts desire appointments to the Agriculture Committee where they can best influence farm policy. Those most interested in foreign policy seek appointment to committees such as the House Foreign Relations and Senate International Affairs Committees, where they can become embroiled in the pressing issues of the day. Power or prestige committee assignments in the House include Appropriations, Budget, Commerce, Rules, and Ways and Means. The most powerful committees in the Senate are Appropriations, Armed Services, Commerce, Finance, and Foreign Relations.

House and Senate Committees

A list and description of House and Senate committees can be found at https://www.govtrack.us/congress/committees/ .

Table 12.1 Congressional Committees

Most House members end up getting assigned to at least one committee that they request. In the House, committee assignments can be a ticket to visibility and influence. Committees provide House members with a platform for attracting media attention as journalists will seek them out as policy specialists. Senate committee assignments are not as strongly linked to press visibility as virtually every senator is appointed to at least one powerful committee. The average senator serves on eleven committees and subcommittees, while the average House member serves on five.

Figure 12.11

In the 1950s, Senator Estes Kefauver used controversial comics like “Frisco Mary” to generate press attention for his hearings on juvenile delinquency. This practice of using powerful exhibits to attract media attention to issues continues today.

Wikimedia Commons – public domain.

Service on powerful subcommittees can provide a platform for attracting media attention. In 1955, the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency staged three days of hearings in New York City as part of its investigation into allegations brought by Senator Estes Kefauver (D-TN), a subcommittee member, that violent comic books could turn children into criminals. The press-friendly hearings featured controversial speakers and slides of comic strips depicting a machine gun–toting woman character named “Frisco Mary” blowing away law enforcement officials without remorse that were circulated widely in the media. Kefauver anticipated that the press generated by these hearings would help him gain publicity for a bid to get on the 1956 Democratic presidential ticket. He lost the presidential nomination battle but ended up the vice presidential candidate for the losing side (Nyberg, 1998).

Committee Work

Committees are powerful gatekeepers. They decide the fate of bills by determining which ones will move forward and be considered by the full House and Senate. Committee members have tremendous influence over the drafting and rewriting of legislation. They have access to experts and information, which gives them an advantage when debating bills on the floor (Shepsle & Weingast).

Committee chairs are especially influential, as they are able to employ tactics that can make or break bills. Powerful chairs master the committee’s subject matter, get to know committee members well, and form coalitions to back their positions. Chairs can reward cooperative members and punish those who oppose them by granting or withholding favors, such as supporting pork barrel legislation that will benefit a member’s district (Fenno, 1973).

Most committee work receives limited media coverage. Investigative hearings are the exception, as they can provide opportunities for high drama.

Committee Investigations

Conducting investigations is one of the most public activities in which congressional committees engage. During the Progressive Era of the 1890s through 1920s, members could gain the attention of muckraking journalists by holding investigative hearings to expose corruption in business and government. The first of these was the 1913 “Pujo hearings,” in which Rep. Arsene Pujo (D-LA) headed a probe of Wall Street financiers. High-profile investigations in the 1920s included an inquiry into the mismanagement of the Teapot Dome oil reserves. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Congress conducted an investigation of the stock market, targeting Wall Street once again. Newspapers were willing to devote much front-page ink to these hearings, as reports on the hearings increased newspaper readership. In 1950, Senator Kefauver held hearings investigating organized crime that drew 30 million television viewers at a time when the medium was new to American homes (Mayhew, 2000).

The Senate convened a special committee to investigate the Watergate burglaries and cover-up in 1973. The burglars had been directed by President Richard Nixon’s reelection committee to break into and wiretap the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate building complex. The Watergate hearings became a national television event as 319 hours of the hearings were broadcast and watched by 85 percent of American households. Gavel-to-gavel coverage of the hearings was broadcast on National Public Radio. The senators who conducted the investigation, especially Chairman Sam Ervin (D-NC) and Senator Howard Baker (R-TN), became household names. The hearings resulted in the conviction of several of President Nixon’s aides for obstruction of justice and ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation (Gray, 1984).

Figure 12.12

The Senate Watergate hearings in 1973 were a major television and radio event that brought Congress to the attention of the entire nation. Film clips of highlights from the Watergate hearings are available on the Watergate Files website of the Gerald R. Ford Library & Museum.

Wikimedia Commons – CC BY-SA 3.0.

In 2002, the House Financial Services Committee held thirteen hearings to uncover how Enron Corporation was able to swindle investors and drive up electricity rates in California while its executives lived the high life. Prior to the hearings, which made “Enron” a household word, there was little press coverage of Enron’s questionable operating procedures.

Enron’s Skilling Answers Markey at Hearing; Eyes Roll

(click to see video)

A clip of the Enron hearings before the House illustrates how Congress exercises its investigative power.

Enduring Image

The House Un-American Activities Committee and Hollywood

Following World War II, chilly relations existed between the United States and the Communist Soviet Union, a nation that had emerged as a strong power and had exploded an atomic bomb (Giglio, 2000). The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), which was established in 1939 to investigate subversive activities, decided to look into allegations that Communists were threatening to overthrow American democracy using force and violence. People in government, the labor movement, and the motion picture industry were accused of being communists. Especially sensational were hearings where Hollywood actors, directors, and writers were called before the HUAC. It was not uncommon for people in Hollywood to have joined the Communist Party during the Great Depression of the 1930s, although many were inactive at the time of the hearings. HUAC alleged that film “was the principle medium through which Communists have sought to inject their propaganda” (Gianos, 1998).

Those accused of being communists, nicknamed “reds,” were called before the HUAC. They were subject to intense questioning by members of Congress and the committee’s counsel. In 1947, HUAC held hearings to investigate the influence of Communists in Hollywood. The “ Hollywood Ten ,” a group of nine screenwriters, including Ring Lardner, Jr. and Dalton Trumbo, and director Edward Dmytryk, were paraded before the committee. Members of Congress shouted to the witnesses, “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” They were commanded to provide the names of people they knew to be Communists or face incarceration. Some of the Hollywood Ten responded aggressively to the committee, not answering questions and making statements asserting their First Amendment right to free expression. Blinding flashbulbs provided a constant backdrop to the hearings, as photographers documented images of dramatic face-offs between committee members and the witnesses. Images of the hearings were disseminated widely in front-page photos in newspapers and magazines and on television.

The HUAC hearings immortalized the dramatic image of the congressional investigation featuring direct confrontations between committee members and witnesses.

The Hollywood Ten refused to cooperate with HUAC, were cited for contempt of Congress, and sent to prison (Ceplair, 1994). They were blacklisted by the leaders of the film industry, along with two hundred other admitted or suspected communists, and were unable to work in the motion picture industry. Pressured by personal and financial ruin, Edward Dmytryk eventually gave in to HUAC’s demands.

Commercial films have perpetuated the dramatic image of congressional hearings made popular by the HUAC investigations. Films released around the time of the hearings tended to justify the actions the HUAC, including Big Jim McClain (1952) and On the Waterfront (1954). The few films made later are more critical. Woody Allen plays a small-time bookie who fronts for blacklisted writers in The Front (1976), a film depicting the personal toll exacted by the HUAC and blacklisting. In Guilty by Suspicion (1991), Robert DeNiro’s character refuses to name names and jeopardizes his career as a director. One of the Hollywood Ten (2000), graphically depicts film director Herbert Biberman’s experience in front of the HUAC before he is jailed for not cooperating.

Key Takeaways

Much of the important work in Congress is accomplished through committees. The fate of legislation—which bills will make it to the floor of the House and Senate—is determined in committees. Members seek committee assignments considering their desire to influence policy, exert influence, and get reelected. Most committee work receives little, if any, media coverage. Investigative committees are the exception when they are covering hearings on high-profile matters.

• What is the role of congressional committees? What determines which committees members of Congress seek to be on?
• What are generally considered to be the most powerful and prestigious committees in Congress? What do you think makes those committees so influential?

Ceplair, L., “The Hollywood Blacklist,” in The Political Companion to American Film , ed. Gary Crowdus (Chicago: Lakeview Press, 1994), 193–99.

Fenno, R., Congressmen in Committees (Boston: Little, Brown, 1973).

Gianos, P. L., Politics and Politicians in American Film (Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998), 65.

Giglio, E., Here’s Looking at You (New York: Peter Lang, 2000).

Gray, R., Congressional Television: A Legislative History (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984).

Mayhew, D. R., America’s Congress (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000).

Nyberg, A. K., Seal of Approval (Oxford: University of Mississippi Press, 1998).

Shepsle, K. A., and Barry R. Weingast, “The Institutional Foundations of Committee Power,” American Political Science Review 81: 85–104.

Wilson, W., Congressional Government (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1885), 69.

American Government and Politics in the Information Age Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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6c. The Importance of Committees

Bills begin and end their lives in committees , whether they are passed into law or not. Hearings from interest groups and agency bureaucrats are held at the committee and subcommittee level, and committee members play key roles in floor debate about the bills that they foster.

Committees help to organize the most important work of Congress — considering, shaping, and passing laws to govern the nation. 8,000 or so bills go to committee annually. Fewer than 10% of those bills make it out for consideration on the floor.

Types of Committees

There are four types of congressional committees:

Committee Assignments

After each congressional election , political parties assign newly elected Representatives and Senators to standing committees. They consider a member's own wishes in making the assignments, but they also assess the needs of the committees, in terms of region of the country, personalities, and party connections.

Since the House has 435 members, most Representatives only serve on one or two committees. On the other hand, Senators often serve on several committees and subcommittees . Committee assignment is one of the most important decisions for a new member's future work in Congress. Usually, members seek appointment on committees that will allow them to serve their districts or state the most directly. However, a members from a "safe" district — where his or her reelection is not in jeopardy — and who wants to be a leader in Congress, may want to be named to a powerful committee, such as Foreign Relations, Judiciary, or the House Ways and Means . There they are more likely to come into contact with current leaders and perhaps even gain some media attention.

Standing Committees of Congress (as of 2021)

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The Effects of the Seniority System on How Congress Works

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The term "seniority system" is used to describe the practice of granting special perks and privileges to members of the  U.S. Senate  and  House of Representatives  who have served the longest. The seniority system has been the target of numerous reform initiatives over the years, all of which have failed to prevent the most senior members of Congress from amassing tremendous power.

Senior Member Privileges

Members with seniority are allowed to choose their own offices and committee assignments. The latter is one of the most important privileges a member of Congress can earn because committees are where most of the important legislative work actually happens , not on the floor of the House and Senate.

Members with a longer term of service on a committee are also assumed to be senior, and therefore they have more power within the committee. Seniority is also usually, but not always, considered when each party awards committee chairmanships, the most powerful position on a committee.

History of the Seniority System

The seniority system in Congress dates back to 1911 and a revolt against House Speaker Joseph Cannon, writes Robert E. Dewhirst in his "Encyclopedia of the United States Congress." A seniority system of sorts was already in place, but Cannon nonetheless wielded tremendous power, controlling nearly every aspect governing which bills would be introduced in the House.

Leading a reform coalition of 42 fellow Republicans, Nebraska representative George Norris introduced a resolution that would remove the Speaker from the Rules Committee, effectively stripping him of all power. Once adopted, the seniority system allowed members of the House to advance and win committee assignments even if the leadership of their party opposed them.

Effects of the Seniority System

Congress members favor the seniority system because it is seen as a nonpartisan method for selecting committee chairmen, as opposed to a system that employs patronage, cronyism, and favoritism. “It is not that Congress loves seniority more,” a former House member from Arizona, Stewart Udall, once said, “but the alternatives less.”

The seniority system enhances the power of the committee chairs (limited to six years since 1995) because they are no longer beholden to the interests of party leaders. Because of the nature of the terms of office, seniority is more important in the Senate (where the terms are for six years), than in the House of Representatives (where the terms are for only two years).

Some of the most powerful leadership positions—speaker of the House and majority leader—are elected positions and therefore somewhat immune to the seniority system.

Seniority also refers to a legislator's social standing in Washington, D.C. The longer a member has served, the better his office location and the more likely he or she will be invited to important parties and other get-togethers. Since  there are no term limits for members of Congress , this means members with seniority can, and do, amass great amounts of power and influence.

Criticism of the Seniority System

Opponents of the seniority system in Congress say it gives advantage to lawmakers from so-called “safe” districts (in which voters overwhelmingly support one political party or the other) and doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the most qualified person will be chair. All it would take to end the seniority system in the Senate, for instance, is a simple majority vote to amend its Rules. Then again, the chances of any member of Congress voting to decrease his or her own is zero to none.

Dewhirst, Robert E. "Encyclopedia of the United States Congress." Facts on File Library of American History, Facts on File, October 1, 2006.

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Form follows function, or at least it should when it comes to boards. Without a strong structure, boards can fall prey to a whole host of dysfunctions, not the least of which is wasted time, boring or unfocused meetings, and lack of strategic engagement from the board.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to board structure, but there are some general principles that each board should keep in mind when thinking about its ideal structure:

• A board can be too big — just as it can be too small. While it’s impossible for BoardSource to say what the “right” size for a board should be, we have seen boards that are too big and too small.

A board that’s too big may

• struggle to meaningfully engage all of its board members
• find it difficult to effectively discuss important issues and make decisions as a full group
• have an executive committee that is too powerful and functioning as the governing body for the organization or an executive who wields too much power

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• not have enough external perspectives to provide meaningful input on organizational strategy
• not enable the organization to reach important networks for purposes of advocacy , fundraising, and collaboration
• be too insular to provide effective oversight, and the executive may wield too much power
• Just because it’s important doesn’t mean you need a committee for it. Standing committees should be formed only when there’s a true need for a role or function to be performed by board members on an ongoing basis. BoardSource recommends that every board have a committee focused on financial oversight as well as a committee focused on the performance and composition of the board (often called a governance committee). Many boards also see the value of a fundraising or development committee, as well as committees focused on other organization-specific ongoing leadership roles for the board. To address specific projects and designed tasks, time-bound task forces or focused discussions within board meetings are preferable. Want to learn more about committees? Read our resource on how to structure your board .
• Well-structured and planned meetings are essential to getting the most from your board. If your board meetings could just as easily be accomplished through a written report or email chain, then you’re missing the magic of what board meetings and leadership should be all about. Board meetings should be the place for the discussion, debate, and consideration that can’t take place in a written report, and must be intentionally structured to make that happen. BoardSource recommends moving routine reporting and updates to a consent agenda  and reserving meeting time for discussion of critical issues, concerns, and decision making.

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Committee Management: Roles & Responsibilities for Successful Leadership

The Team at Boardable

Board Roles & Responsibilities

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Committee management benefits the function of the committee and the board as a whole. Well-managed committees are informed of meeting agendas well in advance so that they come prepared to the meeting, having read the previous meeting’s minutes, and are ready to discuss the agenda items. They also remain focused and on-task for the duration of the meeting. Providing committee members with the support and solutions they need to enable this preparedness level takes intentional planning and structure. 

Committee management can happen in a variety of ways. One of the most common solutions is a paper and electronic communication combo. Paper agendas are mailed out prior to the meeting, are available on-sight, and the committee is reminded of the time, date, and agenda via email. While this enhances communication, this approach also places a lot of burden on the committee member to keep track of pertinent information. Papers are frequently misplaced, and emails can also get lost in inboxes full of other information. 

Many boards and committees are attempting to take their committee management strategy fully digital, especially in the wake of COVID-19. However, this strategy can also be cumbersome and difficult to navigate. This is especially true if the information is housed in many digital sources like email, cloud services, etc. It can lead to unprepared committee members and unproductive meetings.

You’re not alone if you’re wondering how to set up a committee structure. Many existing board committees, executives, and administrators are looking for a solution to set their committees up for success and advance their mission. 

Board committees can be composed of all sorts of individuals, each with varying strengths and bandwidth for participation. Not every committee is a great fit for every board member. When determining a committee structure or assigning/volunteering for a committee, one should ask themselves what are typical board committees responsible for. 

Types Of Management Committee

What are the 4 types of committees? Although individual committees have many different names, there are four different types of board committees in general:

• An ad hoc committee is usually temporary and created for a very specific purpose. For instance, decorating or bake sale committees are common examples of ad hoc committees. These are short-term opportunities, however, they are very common and still important.
• A constitutional committee is meant to advise the board of directors on issues related to the policies and procedures of an organization, as well as other ‘constitutional’ issues otherwise known as governance. 
• An advisory committee is comprised of individuals who bring their expertise on a specific topic and advise the board based on their experience.
• A joint committee may include members of the community or members of a board in a different organization that have come together for a common purpose or to advance a relationship.

Although there may be many different names for types of board committees in corporate governance and types of committees in nonprofit organizations, all committees fall into one type from the above categories. Types of management committees could be constitutional or advisory, however, it is likely to vary from board to board. 

Management Committee Roles And Responsibilities

You might be wondering what the role of a committee in an organization is. Management committees are responsible for deciding how an organization is operated as a whole. This is also why management committee meetings are important. The actual meaning of the verbiage “management committee” varies somewhat. Management committees can often work directly with the staff or CEO of an organization. Sometimes, what we recognize as a Board of Directors is simply another name for a management committee. 

Management committee members and management committee roles and responsibilities are vast. It can be helpful to develop a document of working committee roles and responsibilities if they tend to evolve and shift over time. There are many different types of committee members. 

Looking at the roles and responsibilities of committee members pdf can also help get a better understanding of different roles and how to document them. Documenting the roles and responsibilities of committee members can provide clarity for everyone involved and gives the committee a quick point of reference when trying to assign tasks. This is especially true when a management committee doubles as a trustee board or a Board of Directors. If the management committee PDF is the golden standard for how a board should be governed, it may even be a legal requirement for these roles and responsibilities to be spelled out.

Common management committee roles and responsibilities may look like this: 

• Organizing board responsibilities as a whole
• Creating organizational reports to determine priority
• Upholding the overall values of an organization and remaining focused on the mission
• Managing other aspects of the board, such as board operations and other committee functions

Role And Responsibilities Of Committee Members

The role and responsibilities of committee members can vary by committee. It is usually dependent on the committee’s role within the organization. For example, the planning committee roles and responsibilities would likely be different from the budget committee’s roles and responsibilities. It can be beneficial to create a “Roles & Responsibilities of Committee Members” pdf to help keep everyone on track. 

In general, here are a few common roles of members in a meeting:

• Read and understand the agenda. The agenda is what determines the course of a meeting and is often crafted with the intention of priority and what time allows.
• Take action on agenda items. Committees are created to accomplish tasks. It is the responsibility of committee members to read the agenda, understand it, make motions, and then follow through with the resolutions of their actions. 
• Appointing new committee members. It is common for committee members to serve “terms” and have a term limit. It’s important to always have new committee members in place to preserve the committee’s purpose.
• Support the action and efforts of the committee overall. As previously stated, the committee exists for a reason. It is the responsibility of that committee to oversee and advance the organization’s overall mission.

A recurring question about committee membership is about the legal responsibilities of committee members. Every committee member and board must understand the local, state, and federal laws surrounding board responsibilities regarding their type of organization. In the case of all organizations, particularly those that maintain non-profit status, all tax filings must be completed fully and turned in on time. You may lose your status if you do not renew your organization’s tax-exempt status with an IRS Form 990 . For-profit boards should also understand the legal consequences associated with overpaying or underpaying staff, supporting political causes with organizational funds, and the misuse of organizational funds in general.

Management Committee Vs Executive Committee

What are the differences between a management committee and an executive committee? There can appear to be quite a bit of overlap between the two. In the simplest definition, the role of an executive committee meeting is to function in the absence of the full board. Sometimes it is not always possible for a full board to gather and make decisions as a consensus. Instead, a list of executive committee members is gathered to act on behalf of the board.

Each board can choose to do this differently, but a common executive committee structure is commonly composed of the following executive committee positions: 

• Chairperson
• Vice Chairperson

Executive committee member roles are unique – there is only one president, vice president, etc. The management committee reports to the executive committee, even if there is some overlap in membership. This is why having a management committee charter, and a list of executive members is so important. Having clearly defined expectations and responsibilities for the different committees is key to limiting confusion between board members, many of whom volunteer on top of having additional community responsibilities. 

Common nonprofit executive committee roles and responsibilities are about determining the CEO’s compensation, approving the organization’s budget, and acting in representation of the full board. The roles are also about upholding the organization’s mission and values. Executive committees also usually take care of legal compliance issues, for example, reviewing an organization’s audit or ensuring that all IRS paperwork is properly filed. 

Committee Management Software

Keeping track of various roles and responsibilities, multiple agendas, minutes, and other board paperwork can be difficult. We understand that the best board portals should keep your team connected and focused, all while being scalable and easy to use. 

Some of the functionalities of Boardable include the Agenda Builder , Meeting Scheduler , and Minutes Maker. Our AI-enabled tools can assist in the high-effort tasks of crafting agendas and recording minutes, saving valuable time. These tools are used heavily in many industries that Boardable serves, including government , healthcare , real estate , technology , and nonprofit .

Our goal at Boardable is to increase board and committee engagement by giving them the power and capacity to get more done. We offer easy-to-use tools, and our solution is ready to use right out of its digital box. We also offer a free plan for those who’d like a taste of what it’s like to save time, energy, and resources. 

Solutions for Board Members

We know that what happens after a meeting is also critical. Keep post-meeting momentum going with a centralized hub your team can access before, during, and after meetings to promote autonomy and collaboration.

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• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

committee assignment

Meanings of committee and assignment.

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(Definition of committee and assignment from the Cambridge English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

• Examples of committee assignment

Word of the Day

If you are on hold when using the phone, you are waiting to speak to someone.

Searching out and tracking down: talking about finding or discovering things

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• Definition of committee
• Definition of assignment
• Other collocations with committee
• Other collocations with assignment