Committee Service:

Based on the information on gov.track.us, Senator Pryor serves on a total of 6 committees, and is a member on all 6 (not serving as a chair or ranking member of nay of them).  His committee involvement is as follows:

-       Appropriations

o   This committee has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate

o   The appropriations committee has a total of 30 members, 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans, which makes it the largest committee in the U.S. Senate, and arguably, one of the most important.

-       Commerce, Science, and Transportation

o   According to commerce.senate.gov, this committee has jurisdiction over all matters related to subjects such as the Coast Guard, costal zone management, interstate commerce, marine fisheries, standards and measurement, and sports, to name a few.

o   It has 24 members, 13 Democrats and 11 Republicans.

o   A fun fact about this committee is that, at least according to the webpage devoted to committee involvement on Senator Pryor’s website, it seems to the be committee of which Pryor is most proud to be a part, as it has the most information devoted to his work on this committee of any of the 6 on which he resides.  The information states, “He has used these committees in the past to overhaul product safety laws, promote broadband expansion, strengthen small business start-up and assistance programs, advance content filtering technology, improve fuel economy standards and curb identity theft. He plans to build on these initiatives and create new opportunities for economic growth.”

§  This reminded me of Mayhew’s statement that congress members are single-minded seekers of reelection, as it certainly seems true in Pryor’s case here.  He utilizes his work on the committee to show why the citizens of Arkansas are better off with him than without, and how his decisions are positively impacting them and the rest of the country.

-       Ethics

o   Ethics.senate.gov says that this committee’s jurisdiction is derived from the Constitution, and has authority granted under law and Senate rules.  Whenever the Ethics Committee received a complaint, from virtually any source, that suggests a Senator or staffer might have violated the rules that lie within the committee’s jurisdiction, the committee then initiates a preliminary investigation into the accusation.  At the end of that initial inquiry period, they then determine whether there is substantial evidence to conclude if a violation occurred.

o   This is a very small, selective committee with 3 members from each side of the aisle.  The Ethics committee staff as a collective whole, however, is non-partisan.

-       Small Business and Entrepreneurship

o   The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee deals with all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and all other matters that relate to the Small Business Administration

o   It is also responsible for studying and surveying all problems of American small business enterprises.

o   This committee has 18 members, 10 Democrats and 8 Republicans

-       Rules and Administration

o   Rules.senate.gov lists their purpose and jurisdiction, and it would seem they are responsible for a great deal, including everything from the assignment of office space, corrupt practices (this point was a bit vague, but I assumed they mean working to discourage such practices), presidential succession, and the art and pictures placed in the Senate Office Buildings and the Capitol.

o   Furthermore, this committee is responsible for developing, implementing, and updating strategic planning processes for the function and technical infrastructure support of the Senate.

o    This committee has 18 members, 9 Democrats, 8 Republicans, and 1 Independent

-       Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

o   The homepage for this committee says that it is the Senate’s primary oversight committee over “government operations generally and the Department of Homeland Security in particular.”  It studies the efficiency and effectiveness of all agencies and departments of the federal government, evaluates the effectiveness of laws passed, and studies the intergovernmental relationships present throughout the United States.

o   Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has 16 members, 9 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

o   A fun fact about this committee is that it was previously titled the Governmental Affairs Committee.  After the Homeland Security Act passed in 2002, however, the title was changed to reflect this committee’s complete jurisdiction over everything related to Homeland Security, as well as myriad of other varying responsibilities such as the census, nuclear export policy, and the Postal Service.

§  It seems odd to me that this one committee would be responsible for so much, but especially that it is responsible for such a wide array of issues.  I was curious to see how much this committee is actually able to accomplish, given its relatively small size and its broad jurisdiction.  I looked on their legislation page, and what I found surprised me.  This committee seems to go through spurts in which they are extremely active.  In November of 2012, three pieces of legislation were put forth, and in September of 2012, 4 issues were put forth, including a bill that is called the Government Customer Service Improvement Act.  In January and December, however, this committee introduced only piece of legislation per month, and there was only one bill introduced between December and March of 2011 – 2012.  It’s strange to me that a committee in charge of so much either doesn’t have more members or splits itself up, as it would seem that they have a hard time passing through legislation, although I’m sure the view is better from the cheap seats and they might really be accomplishing more than meets the eye.

Subcommittee Service:

Senator Pryor serves on 16 subcommittees, serving as a member on 14 of the, and as its chairman for the following two:

-          - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

-         -  Communications, Technology, and the Internet

Current issues before the committee relevant to MC:

            The most current and relevant issue regarding Mark Pryor occurred this Thursday, March 21^st, 2013 and concerns his membership on the Senate Appropriations Committee.  As presented on the website for recent news in Appropriations, the House today approved H.R. 933, entitled the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013.  In essence, this bill provides funding needed to keep government up and running until the end of the 2013 fiscal year on September 30^th, as the current funding expires on March 17^th of this year.

            Additionally, this bill provides full-year funding for five Appropriation bills: Defense, Military Construction/Veteran Affairs, Homeland Security, Commerce, and Justice/Science/Agriculture.  This funding will ideally go to support what is considered critical law enforcement and national security efforts, protect U.S. borders and food supplies, and make investments in the country’s agricultural and economic infrastructure.

            Another recent occurrence in the senatorial career of Mark Pryor happened on last Thursday, March 14^th, 2013.  Chairwoman Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, held a roundtable titled “Helping Small Businesses Weather Economic Challenges and Disasters: A Review of Legislative Proposals on Access to Capital and Disaster Recovery.”  Senator Pryor is one of five senators to introduce a bill concerning no-cost disaster reform, a bill that was met well by senators on both sides of the aisle.  The roundtable meeting was held to discuss the bill, and other initiatives like it, in further detail.