Attempts were made to create a congressional committee on education and labor starting with the early congresses but issues over Congress's constitutional ability to oversee such issues delayed the committee's formation. Finally, on March 21, 1867, the
Committee on Education and Labor was founded following the end of the
Civil War and during the rapid industrialization of America. On December 19, 1883, the committee was divided into two, the
Committee on Education and the
Committee on Labor. The committees again merged on January 2, 1947, after the passage of the
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, becoming the Committee on Education and Labor again.
Name changes On January 4, 1995, when the Republicans took over the House, the committee was renamed the
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities. It was renamed again as the
Committee on Education and the Workforce two years later on January 7, 1997. On January 4, 2007, with the Democrats once again in the majority, the committee's name was changed back to Committee on Education and Labor. After Republicans recaptured the House majority in the 2010 elections, they returned to the name, Committee on Education and the Workforce, effective with the opening of the
112th Congress in 2011. After Democrats recaptured the House majority in the 2018 elections, they similarly returned to the previous name, Committee on Education and Labor, effective with the opening of the
116th Congress in 2019. With the passing of the new House Rules associated to the Speaker negotiations in January of 2023, the 118th Congress renamed the committee as the Committee on Education and the Workforce again. ==Jurisdiction==