Harold Rogers Chairs House Appropriations Commerce Subcommittee

Along with the Republican majority in Congress come new faces chairing congressional committees and subcommittees. Rep. Harold Rogers of Kentucky takes over as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary. In this position Rogers, along with his counterpart in the Senate, Phil Gramm of Texas, will be primarily responsible for the budgets of the agencies under his subcommittee’s jurisdiction. These include the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Several of NIST’s programs of outreach and partnership with industry, such as the Advanced Technology Program and the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships, have been mentioned as possible targets of cuts or elimination by the Republicans.

Alan Mollohan, formerly the subcommittee’s acting chairman, now becomes the ranking minority member. The new subcommittee roster follows:

Republicans:

Harold Rogers (KY)
Jim Kolbe (AZ)
Charles Taylor (NC)
Ralph Regula (OH)*
Michael Forbes (NY)**

Democrats:

Alan Mollohan (WV)
David Skaggs (CO)
Julian Dixon (CA)*

*New Member of subcommittee
**New Member of Congress

This is Rogers’ eighth term representing the 5th district, which spans 26 counties in Appalachian eastern Kentucky. It is the state’s poorest district, and has seen a decline in coal-mining over the last two decades. Rogers has used his seat on the appropriations committee to direct rural development, flood control and Small Business Administration projects to Kentucky. Although Rogers has avidly protected the tobacco interests in his district, he has also sought funds to help those farmers diversify.

Kentucky’s 5th district contains the following colleges: Alice Lloyd College, Cumberland College, Hazard Community College, Lees College, Pikeville College, Prestonsburg Community College, Somerset Community College, Southeast Community College, Sue Bennett College, and Union College.

Rogers’ 1993 voting record shows that he voted with his party 84 percent of the time, with the President 47 percent of the time, and received a score of 95 percent from the Conservative Coalition. On key votes of interest to the science community, Rogers consistently supported the SSC. However, he wavered on the space station, opposing it in 1992, while supporting it in 1991, 1993 and 1994.

The address of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies is: H-309 Capitol Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3351