United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development. More specifically, the committee has complete jurisdiction over the following federal agencies: NASA, NSF, NIST, and the OSTP. The committee also has authority over R&D activities at the Department of Energy, the EPA, FAA, NOAA, the DOT, the NWS, the DHS and the U.S. Fire Administration.[1]
Since January 13, 2025
Since January 3, 2023
| Standing committee | |
|---|---|
| Active United States House of Representatives 119th Congress | |
| History | |
| Formed | January 3, 1959 |
| Leadership | |
| Chair | Brian Babin (R) Since January 13, 2025 |
| Ranking Member | Zoe Lofgren (D) Since January 3, 2023 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
| Political parties | Majority (22)
|
| Jurisdiction | |
| Oversight authority | NASA, NSF, NIST, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy |
| Website | |
| science democrats-science | |
History
In the wake of the Soviet Sputnik program in the late 1950s, Congress created the Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration on 5 March 1958, chaired by majority leader John William McCormack, on the advice of National Defense Analyst Eilene Galloway. This select committee drafted the National Aeronautics and Space Act that created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A staff report of the committee, the Space Handbook: Astronautics and its Applications, provided non-technical information about spaceflight to U.S. policy makers.[2][3]
The committee also chartered the permanent House Committee on Science and Astronautics, which officially began on January 3, 1959, and was the first new standing committee established in the House since 1946. The name was changed in 1974 to the House Committee on Science and Technology. The name was changed again in 1987 to the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. After the Republican Party gained a majority in Congress in 1994, the name of the committee was changed to the House Committee on Science. With the return of control to the Democrats in 2007, the committee's name was changed back to the House Committee on Science and Technology.
During the 112th Congress, which was in session from 2011–2013, committee chair Ralph Hall added "Space" back into the committee's name: "The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology" – a nod to the committee's history, broad jurisdiction, and the importance of space exploration in maintaining American innovation and competitiveness.[4]
Members, 119th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 13 (Chair), H.Res. 14 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 42 (R), H.Res. 44 (D), H.Res. 430 (Foster), H.Res. 940 (Van Epps), H.Res. 1048 (Menefee)
Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair[5] | Ranking Member[6] |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Randy Weber (R-TX) | Deborah Ross (D-NC) |
| Environment | Scott Franklin (R-FL) | Gabe Amo (D-RI) |
| Investigations and Oversight | Rich McCormick (R-GA) | Emilia Sykes (D-OH) |
| Research and Technology | Jay Obernolte (R-CA) | Haley Stevens (D-MI) |
| Space and Aeronautics | Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) | Valerie Foushee (D-NC) |
Committee leadership
Chairs and ranking members are listed below.[7][4][8]
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McCormack | Democratic | MA | 1958 | 1959 |
| Overton Brooks | Democratic | LA | 1959 | 1961 |
| George Miller | Democratic | CA | 1961 | 1973 |
| Olin Teague | Democratic | TX | 1973 | 1978 |
| Don Fuqua | Democratic | FL | 1979 | 1987 |
| Robert Roe | Democratic | NJ | 1987 | 1991 |
| George Brown | Democratic | CA | 1991 | 1995 |
| Bob Walker | Republican | PA | 1995 | 1997 |
| Jim Sensenbrenner | Republican | WI | 1997 | 2001 |
| Sherwood Boehlert | Republican | NY | 2001 | 2007 |
| Bart Gordon | Democratic | TN | 2007 | 2011 |
| Ralph Hall | Republican | TX | 2011 | 2013 |
| Lamar Smith | Republican | TX | 2013 | 2019 |
| Eddie Bernice Johnson | Democratic | TX | 2019 | 2023 |
| Frank Lucas | Republican | OK | 2023 | 2025 |
| Brian Babin | Republican | TX | 2025 | present |
| Name | Party | State | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Martin | Republican | MA | 1958 | 1967 |
| James Fulton | Republican | PA | 1967 | 1973 |
| Charles Mosher | Republican | OH | 1973 | 1977 |
| John Wydler | Republican | NY | 1977 | 1981 |
| Larry Winn | Republican | KY | 1981 | 1985 |
| Manuel Luján | Republican | NM | 1985 | 1989 |
| Bob Walker | Republican | PA | 1989 | 1995 |
| George Brown | Democratic | CA | 1995 | 1999 |
| Ralph Hall | Democratic | TX | 1999 | 2003 |
| Bart Gordon | Democratic | TN | 2003 | 2007 |
| Ralph Hall | Republican | TX | 2007 | 2011 |
| Eddie Bernice Johnson | Democratic | TX | 2011 | 2019 |
| Frank Lucas | Republican | OK | 2019 | 2023 |
| Zoe Lofgren | Democratic | CA | 2023 | present |
Historical membership rosters
118th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 14 (Chair), H.Res. 15 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 80 (R), H.Res. 87 (D), H.Res. 164 (D), H.Res. 179 (R), H.Res. 205 (D), H.Res. 931 (D)
- Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair[9] | Ranking Member[10] |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Brandon Williams (R-NY) | Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) |
| Environment | Max Miller (R-OH) | Deborah Ross (D-NC) |
| Investigations and Oversight | Mike Collins (R-GA) | Valerie Foushee (D-NC) |
| Research and Technology | Jay Obernolte (R-CA) | Haley Stevens (D-MI) |
| Space and Aeronautics | Brian Babin (R-TX) | Eric Sorensen (D-IL) |
117th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Resolutions electing members: H.Res. 9 (Chair), H.Res. 10 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 62 (D), H.Res. 63 (R), H.Res. 111 (D), H.Res. 475 (D), H.Res. 602 (R), H.Res. 826 (R)
- Subcommittees
| Subcommittee | Chair[12] | Ranking Member[13] |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) | Randy Weber (R-TX) |
| Environment | Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) | Stephanie Bice (R-OK) |
| Investigations and Oversight | Bill Foster (D-IL) | Jay Obernolte (R-CA) |
| Research and Technology | Haley Stevens (D-MI) | Mike Waltz (R-FL) |
| Space and Aeronautics | Don Beyer (D-VA) | Brian Babin (R-TX) |
116th Congress
| Majority | Minority |
|---|---|
|
|
Sources: H.Res. 24 (Chair), H.Res. 25 (Ranking Member), H.Res. 67 (D), H.Res. 68 (R), H.Res. 73 (D), H.Res. 264 (R), H.Res. 516 (R), H.Res. 596 (R), H.Res. 712 (D), H.Res. 1037 (R)
- Subcommittees
There were five subcommittees in the 116th Congress.[11]
| Subcommittee | Chair | Ranking Member |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) | Randy Weber (R-TX) |
| Environment | Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) | Roger Marshall (R-KS) |
| Investigations and Oversight | Bill Foster (D-IL) | Ralph Norman (R-SC) |
| Research and Technology | Haley Stevens (D-MI) | Jim Baird (R-IN) |
| Space and Aeronautics | Don Beyer (D-VA) | Brian Babin (R-TX) |
115th Congress
| Majority[14] | Minority[15] |
|---|---|
|
|
