Committee Assignments

Due to the high volume and complexity of its work, the Senate divides its tasks among 20 committees, 68 subcommittees, and four joint committees. 

Several thousand bills and resolutions are referred to committees during each two-year Congress.  The bills that committees select for consideration help to set the Senate’s agenda.

The following are Senator Feinstein’s current committee assignments:

• Senate Committee on the Judiciary 

  One of the Senate's original standing committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee has one of the broadest jurisdictions in the Senate, ranging from criminal justice to antitrust and intellectual property law. Senator Feinstein was the first female Senator appointed to serve as a member of this Committee. 
  
  

  Subcommittees:

• Human Rights and the Law (Chairman)
• Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety
• Subcommittee on The Constitution
• Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism 

• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence 

  The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, established in 1975, has oversight responsibility for the 16 civilian and military agencies and departments that make up the U.S. Intelligence Community.

• Senate Committee on Appropriations

  
  
  The Senate Appropriations Committee writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis. Twelve subcommittees are tasked with drafting legislation to allocate funds to government agencies within their jurisdictions. The committee is also responsible for supplemental spending bills, which are sometimes needed in the middle of a fiscal year to compensate for emergency expenses. 
  
  

  Subcommittees:

  • Energy and Water (Chairman)
  • Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Defense
  • Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
  • Interior, Environment and Related Agencies

• Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

  
  
  The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration is responsible for issues that include election, campaign finance and ethics reform. The Committee provides oversight over such institutions as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, and the National Zoo. It also oversees the standing rules of the Senate and administers the Congressional Office Buildings.