South Alabama’s representatives in Congress will serve as the top ranking Republicans on two House subcommittees.
As announced Tuesday, Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-1) will serve as the Workforce Protections Subcommittee’s ranking member through his membership on the Education and Labor Committee, while Congresswoman Martha Roby (AL-2) will be ranking member on the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
“I am humbled to have been selected to serve as the top Republican on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. As an attorney, I’m excited to work closely on the important issues this subcommittee touches and to be a stronger voice in this leadership capacity on behalf of my district and state,” Roby said in a statement.
“Alabama’s workers deserve federal workplace polices that make it easier and safer for them to do their job without worrying about burdensome and confusing government regulations. I’m honored to again lead this Subcommittee as we fight for American workers and work to ensure the balance of power is not tilted in favor of Big Labor at the expense of hardworking Americans,” Byrne commented in a press release.
Byrne, himself a labor-employment attorney by trade, chaired the same subcommittee last Congress, when Republicans controlled the House. Now in the minority, the top Republican on each committee and subcommittee is referred to as the “ranking member.”
The Workforce Protections Subcommittee has jurisdiction over wages and hours of workers, workers’ compensation, the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA), the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, trade and international labor rights and immigration issues as they affect employers and workers.
In a statement, Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) praised Byrne’s commitment to protecting American workers.
“Rep. Byrne has been a valued member of the Committee on Education and Labor, and I am pleased we will continue to benefit from his knowledge and leadership, especially on wages and fairness in the workplace, as he leads our efforts on the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections,” Foxx remarked.
Byrne is also continuing his service on the House Armed Services Committee, while Roby does the same on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
On appropriations, Roby will serve on the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, which is the subcommittee Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-4) is ranking member.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue serving on the House Appropriations Committee during the 116th Congress. These subcommittee assignments give me a seat at the table to advocate for the conservative funding priorities that are important to the people I represent in Alabama’s Second District, including properly supporting our national security interests at home and abroad, ensuring adequate resources and care for our nation’s veterans, and more,” Roby said.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
