Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

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Key Offices

The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is led by the following people
Ted Kennedy - (D)
Chairman
Ted Kennedy has been serving in the U.S. Senate for Massachusetts since 1962. He is the patriarch of the ill-fated Kennedy family and is more or less the leader of the Democratic Party.
Mike Enzi - (R)
Ranking Member
One of the more conservative Senators at present, Enzi was elected to the Upper House in 1996. Though strongly for the war in Iraq, he voted against a 2007 Funding due to its domestic spending earmarks. He's supported Senate floor laptop use since 1997.

Members of Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Name Served Since
Lamar Alexander - (R)

Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and a member of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, U.S. Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H.W. Bu
Wayne Allard - (R)

Wayne Allard, a veterinarian, has served his state of Colorado in several capacities. He began in the State Senate from 1983-90, then went on to the House representing the 4th District from 1991-7 and has been the Senior Senator since 1997.
Jeff Bingaman - (D)

Once serving as Attorney General of New Mexico (1978-82), Bingaman is currently in his 5th term (since 1982) as Junior Senator from New Mexico. A representative of a major border state, he's been vocal on illegal immigration and possible solutions.
Sherrod Brown - (D)

Prior to entering the Senate in 2007 for Ohio, Brown represented Ohio's 13th District in the House from 1993-2007. He is a staunch rival to the Clinton & Bush Administration supported North American and Central American Free Trade Agreements
Richard Burr - (R)

A distant cousin of a notorious dueler, Burr assumed the seat of Senator from North Carolina in 2005. Prior to entering the Senate, Burr was a sales manager for 17 years at a lawn equipment distributor.
Hillary Clinton - (D)

Hillary Clinton is a junior Democratic Senator from New York. Married to former President Bill Clinton, she was First Lady from 1993 to 2001. She is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for President in 2008 and is considered the front-runner.
Tom Coburn - (R)

A medical doctor, Coburn was elected to represent Oklahoma's 2nd District (1995-2001) before winning a Senate seat in 2005. He has taken often extreme conservative stances against gays, abortion and environmentalists. He received 100% from the ACU.
Chris Dodd - (D)

Chris Dodd is currently a U.S. senior Senator from Connecticut where he has served since 1989 and is now the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Prior to the Senate, Dodd was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut's 2nd Congressional district.
Judd Gregg - (R)

Gregg has had a very successful career in public office. Elected to the House for New Hampshire's 2nd District (1981-89), he later went on to become Governor (1989-93). Finally, he was elected to the Senate in 1992, a position he has held since.
Tom Harkin - (D)

Elected to the House in 1974, he served until 1984, when he moved on to the Senate where he currently sits. In 1990 he wrote the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), making him best known for his advocacy of that group.
Orrin Hatch - (R)

After trying his hand at law, Hatch won a Senate seat for Utah in 1977. He invented the controversial "filibuster by amendment" and has called global warming "science fiction." There is whispering that Hatch is seeking the office of Attorney General.
Johnny Isakson - (R)

Prior to public office Isakson was president of Northside Realty (1979-2001), a time when it became the biggest independent real estate company in Georgia. Elected to the House for Georgia's 6th (1999-2005), he won a Senate bid in 2005.
Barbara Mikulski - (D)

"Senator Barb" began her political career in the House, representing Maryland's 3rd District from 1977-87. In 1987 she became the first female senator elected in her own right. She is a strong advocate of NASA exploration.
Lisa Murkowski - (R)

After serving in Alaska's House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002, Lisa was appointed by her Alaska Senator father to his unexpired seat which she renewed in 2004. With a pro-choice, pro-stem cell research beliefs, she's seen as a moderate in her party.
Patty Murray - (D)

A one time preschool teacher and citizen-lobbyist for environmental and educational issues, Murray won the senate seat for Washington in 1992, 1998 and 2004. She was one of 21 Democrats in the Senate to vote against the Iraq War Authorization in 2002.
Barack Obama - (D)

Entering the U.S. Senate in 2005 for Illinois, Barack Obama is currently a front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008.
John F. "Jack" Reed - (D)

Attending West Point and gaining rank of Captain in the Army, Reed later went on to serve in the House (1990-6) before being elected to the Senate for Rhode Island. Americans for Democratic Action have him listed as a "hero" for his liberal voting record.
Pat Roberts - (R)

After being elected to the House for Kansas' 1st District in 1980 until 1997, Roberts entered the Senate. A conservative, he's supported suspension of habeas corpus for terror detainees and received an environmental score of zero.
Bernie Sanders - (I)

The first self-described socialist to be elected to the Senate, Sanders began in Vermont's At Large District in the House (1991-2007) before winning election to the Senate in 2006. Though an Independent (Democratic Socialist), he caucuses with the Dems.