In addition to his role as Deputy Whip, Senator Carper serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Finance Committee. Senator Carper is the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's and is the chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee's Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee.
The purpose of a committee is to review proposed legislation before the Senate votes on it. The senator in charge of the committee is called the chairman, and is a member of the majority party. The minority party has a similar leader, called the ranking member. When a committee is given a bill to prepare, they coordinate with different government agencies for input on the issue. For example, on a bill that is being reviewed by the Environment and Public Works Committee, committee members may ask for input from the Environmental Protection Agency on how to improve the bill. Then the committee may invite experts to give their testimony at a hearing. After the various agencies and experts have weighed in, the committee reviews the bill, makes changes and submits the bill to the full Senate for debate and a vote.
To learn more about Senator Carper's committee assignments, please visit the following pages:
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Water and WildlifeCommittee on Environment and Public Works
- Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy
- Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
- Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife
- Subcommittee on Health Care
- Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
- Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure
