John W. Hickenlooper

01/10/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/10/2025 11:36

Hickenlooper Announces Committee Assignments for 119th Congress

The work continues to protect American consumers, expand workforce training and apprenticeship programs, maintain American energy dominance, and make it easier to start a small business

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper announced that he will remain on the same four Senate committees for the 119th Congress he previously served on during the 117th Congress and the 118th Congress.

"Colorado has a seat at all the right tables. These committees help us advance Colorado priorities and tackle issues like the cost of energy, the health care workforce shortage, and even artificial intelligence," said Hickenlooper.

Hickenlooper will continue to serve on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Hickenlooper's committee assignments position him to build upon the past four years of policy successes and work in a bipartisan manner to deliver for Coloradans.

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation: The Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over interstate commerce, highway safety and transportation, communications, consumer product regulation, climate science, space exploration, and scientific research into emerging technologies.

  • Over the past four years, Hickenlooper chaired five subcommittee hearings on artificial intelligence (AI) to examine how this fast-evolving technology is affecting Americans.
  • During the 118th Congress, Hickenlooper chaired the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security and held hearings on lowering costs for Americans by increasing price transparency and keeping Americans' data private and secure.
  • During the 117th Congress, Hickenlooper served as chair of the Subcommittee on Space and Science. Colorado has the largest aerospace economy in the nation. Over 2,000 aerospace businesses are employing over 55,000 employees directly and another 184,000 indirectly in Colorado.
  • The bipartisan CHIPS + Science Act, which helps lower costs, grows the U.S. semiconductor industry, and boosts investments in research & development, was signed into law. Hickenlooper served on the conference committee to negotiate differences with the House of Representatives version of the legislation. Colorado is now leading the nation in quantum science and climate resiliency research through the Elevate Quantum Regional Tech Hub and the Colorado Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine.
  • The Commerce Committee oversaw the implementation and committee passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the largest investment in U.S. infrastructure in a century. Over the past three years, the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law has delivered over $7.2 billion for more than 1,000 Colorado projects to update our roads and bridges, expand affordable and reliable internet access, and deliver clean drinking water.
  • As the only scientist in the Senate, Hickenlooper leads with a commitment to advancing the field of science and reaffirms the importance of America's leadership in scientific research.

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP): The HELP Committee handles health care, labor, and education policies, as well as issues relating to child care, college affordability, pandemic preparedness, and retirement savings.

  • During the last four years, Hickenlooper served as the chair of the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, which has jurisdiction over worker health and safety, workforce development, and apprenticeship policy.
  • Hickenlooper chaired several hearings to explore how we can prepare America's next-generation workforce and give them the skills they need to succeed, including with AI and evolving technologies.
  • Hickenlooper also chaired hearings and introduced legislation on expanding and advancing youth apprenticeships. Hickenlooper has been a longtime advocate for youth apprenticeship programs. As governor, he jump-started CareerWise Colorado, a nonprofit designed to create statewide apprenticeship opportunities to prepare students for high-paying, competitive jobs at Colorado companies.
  • Hickenlooper's bipartisan legislation to streamline the approval process for generic prescription drugs and lower the cost passed out of the HELP Committee. During the same session, Hickenlooper also voted to advance legislation to regulate Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) by increasing transparency and requiring PBMs to pass 100% of rebates and discounts on to customers.

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: The Energy and Natural Resources Committee oversees the nation's energy, federal lands, and water policies. Key agencies include the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management, as well as the Department of Energy's National Labs, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

  • Hickenlooper was instrumental in negotiating and passing the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment to combat climate change in history. The legislation has jumpstarted our transition to clean energy, accelerated advanced energy technologies, helped address Western drought, reduced pollution, and upskilled our workforce in the process, with over $1.7 billion already invested in Colorado.
  • As we gear up for our clean energy future, Hickenlooper chaired a Senate hearing and introduced several pieces of legislation to set a national strategy and secure American leadership in critical minerals.
  • Last month, Hickenlooper cheered the Senate passage of the EXPLORE Act, which expands access to outdoor recreation and improves recreation opportunities on public lands across the country. The package also included Hickenlooper's priority to continue the use of fixed anchors for rock climbing in wilderness areas and language based on Hickenlooper's bill to direct the federal land managers to improve parking availability at trailheads and federal recreational facilities.
  • Hickenlooper convened his fellow bipartisan Colorado River Basin Senators on the Western water crisis, leading several meetings to work towards solving the increasingly dry conditions.

Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship: The Small Business Committee conducts oversight of the Small Business Administration and considers legislation related to small business policy, as well as investigates small business issues and identifies federal resources to deal with such issues.

  • Two Hickenlooper-led laws will make it easier for small businesses to access and offer retirement plans for their employees. Both passed out of the committee and were signed into law in 2022.
  • As a former small business owner, Hickenlooper knows what it takes to make payroll and keep a business afloat. Colorado is home to over 680,000 small businesses that employ more than 1.2 million Coloradans.

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