Committee Insider

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Under New Management

Feb. 22, 12 a.m.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) was calm enough when he sat down for a cup of coffee with political reporter David Yepsen back in 1998. But the conversation soon turned passionate.

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Enzi Stays True to His Ideals but Also Deals

Feb. 22, 12 a.m.

Longtime Capitol Hill observers say there’s no better evidence of the bitter partisan stalemate that has enveloped Congress than the posture of Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) during the past year’s health care debate.

Lobbyists Say Panel Off to a Smooth Start

Feb. 22, 12 a.m.

Even if health care reform legislation gets passed this year, lobbyists say it may have surprisingly little to do with Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). That’s because Harkin assumed the panel’s top slot after much of the reform package had already been crafted.

Six Who Held the Gavel Reflected Their Times

Feb. 22, 12 a.m.

The last history of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was written in 1969, when the panel — then known as the Labor and Public Welfare Committee — was marking its centennial. It was born as the Education Committee in 1869, and was known as the Education and Labor Committee from 1884 to 1947, then was called the Labor and Public Welfare Committee from 1947 to 1977, became the Human Resources Committee from 1977 to 1979, then became the Labor and Human Resources Committee in 1979, and took on its current name 11 years ago.