As she begins her second term in Congress, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) will take on a third committee assignment as a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

She will retain her seats on two other committees: Armed Services, and Science, Space and Technology, where she chaired the Investigations and Oversight subcommittee in the last Congress.

The panel has jurisdiction over federal education programs and key issues pertaining to workers, including fair pay, worker safety, anti-poverty programs. Job training, civil rights, school lunches and the federal Head Start program.

“We need to double down on our efforts for workers, students, and teachers as we reopen our businesses and tackle the economic crisis,” Sherrill said. “That includes support for Americans who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, as well as federal investments in work sharing and job development.”

Sherrill also said that Congress need “more support for childcare, a safe and speedy return to in-person school, and to ensure we find ways to combat any gaps in learning our kids have suffered over the last year.”

“The challenges are extensive, and I am looking forward to the work I know we will accomplish in this Congress,” Sherrill said.

Several other New Jersey House members have announced increased workloads in the 117th Congress.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) added Homeland Security to his portfolio as a member of the House Financial Services Committee and his co-chairmanship of the House Problem Solvers Caucus.

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) also joined Homeland Security; he’s keeping his seats on Foreign Affairs and on Transportation & Infrastructure.

Sherill joins Reps. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) and Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis) on the Education and Labor Committee.

The first woman to chair a full House committee, Mary T. Norton (D-Jersey City), headed the Committee on Labor from 1937 to 1947, when Education and Labor were merged by the new Republican Congress.

Rep. Fred Hartley (R-Kearny), who represented a large part of Essex County when he was in Congress, chaired the Education and Labor Committee from 1947 to 1949. Along with U.S. Senator Robert Taft (R-Ohio), he sponsored the famed Taft-Hartley Act.

Source: https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/sherrill-gets-seat-on-education-labor-committee/?fbclid=IwAR1BVhtLg37eZTPB9UYAxcl9EEdHtHj9xX4a5MWIohwsB4BapI9eEK7nRqc