(Washington, D.C.)  Congresswoman Cathy McMorris announced today that she will continue serving on the Natural Resources, Armed Services, and Education and Labor Committees in the 110th Congress. Subcommittee assignments have yet to be determined.

“These three Committees are critical to Eastern Washington and I am pleased that I will be able to build on the work started in my first term,” said McMorris. “These Committees allow me to best serve the needs of our region. From Fairchild Air Force Base and veterans, to our agriculture and natural resources economy, to creating a 21st century workforce, I will be able to continue my work on the priorities and projects important to Eastern Washington.”

The Natural Resources Committee has jurisdiction over a wide range of issues including national forests, public lands, mining, irrigation and reclamation, energy, fisheries and wildlife, and Native American affairs. While serving on this committee, McMorris has held several field hearings in Eastern Washington examining forest recovery efforts and the importance of our dams on the Columbia and Snake River Systems. She also chaired a Task Force on strengthening the National Environmental Policy Act.

The primary responsibility of the House Armed Services Committee is ensuring we have a trained and equipped military with the necessary resources to keep our country safe. McMorris will use her position on the committee to work on local defense issues and identify opportunities to expand the missions at Fairchild Air Force Base.

The Education and Labor Committee has jurisdiction over education from K-12 to post-secondary, and oversees all matter dealing with relationships between employers and employees. Eastern Washington is home to six universities and several community colleges. She has worked to improve access to higher education by fighting to save the Perkins Loan program. To give employers access to a skilled workforce and improve education opportunities, McMorris plans on reintroducing the American Competitiveness Act. This legislation puts more advanced placement math, science and foreign language teachers in the classroom and also allows for adjunct professors who are experts in these fields to teach at high schools.