U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Created in 2005 from the former Senate Committee on Government Affairs, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has original jurisdiction, according to senate Rule XXV(k), for:

1. Archives of the United States.
2. Budget and accounting measures, other than appropriations, except as provided in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
3. Census and collection of statistics, including economic and social statistics.
4. Congressional organization, except for any part of the matter that amends the rules or orders of the Senate.
5. Federal Civil Service.
6. Government information.
7. Intergovernmental relations.
8. Municipal affairs of the District of Columbia, except appropriations therefore.
9. Organization and management of United States nuclear export policy.
10. Organization and reorganization of the executive branch of the Government.
11. Postal Service.
12. Status of officers and employees of the United States, including their classification, compensation, and benefits.

In the 108th Congress in 2005, Senate Resolution 445 inserted a first item: (1) Department of Homeland Security, except matters relating to-

• the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center or the Secret Service; and
• (i) the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service; or (ii) the immigration functions of the United States Customs and Border Protection or the United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement or the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security; and
• the following functions performed by any employee of the Department of Homeland Security--
  • any customs revenue function including any function provided for in section 415 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296);
  • any commercial function or commercial operation of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection or Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including matters relating to trade facilitation and trade regulation; or
  • any other function related to clause (i) or (ii) that was exercised by the United States Customs Service on the day before the effective date of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296).

History

As a committee, its legislative history goes back to the Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments which was created and organized on April 18, 1921. The Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Department was renamed the Committee on Government Operations in 1952. The Committee on Government Operations was reorganized as the Committee on Governmental Affairs in 1978.