A committee, or commission, is a group of individuals subordinate to a deliberative assembly. Matters that are considered too important for the assembly to handle directly are often referred to a committee, so it can explore them more fully than would be possible in the assembly itself. The committee may then report its findings to the assembly, and the assembly may then decide how to proceed with the matter.
The Committee on Ethics is charged with ensuring that members of Congress and their staffs adhere to the highest ethical standards. It investigates allegations of misconduct by Members and staffers, oversees the conduct of Congressional investigations, and recommends censures or dismissal of individuals who fail to comply with the ethical obligations of their offices.
In a historic first for select committees, the Maori Affairs and Health Committees have jointly presented their report on achieving the Smokefree 2025 goal to the House of Representatives.
The Intelligence and Security Committee is responsible for the statutory oversight of the UK’s intelligence agencies – MI5, MI6, GCHQ, Defence Intelligence Organisation and the National Cyber Force.
This page provides an overview of the work of the Committee. Click on a heading to see a more detailed breakdown of the work carried out by the Committee in each of its terms of reference.
Several committees are asking for public submissions on a variety of issues. Parliament’s Maori Affairs Committee and Health Committee have both opened public hearings on achieving the Smokefree 2025 target. The Health Committee is also looking at a petition seeking funding for two stage-four breast cancer medicines.
The Jan. 6 Committee is weighing the possibility of sending criminal referrals to the Justice Department. It is seeking answers on whether President Trump’s actions and inactions that day — including allowing his supporters to continue marching until he released a message telling them to go home — constituted obstruction or obstructive acts. The panel is also examining whether those who raised money for the protests and rallies surrounding Jan. 6 knowingly solicited donations from people with known links to Russia.
Once the committee’s work is complete, it usually reports its findings to its parent body. In most cases, this includes a description of the methods it used, the facts it uncovered, its conclusions and any recommendations it has for action. The assembly can then choose to do nothing with the matter, or it may discharge the committee so another body can take over the task.
During the course of its deliberations, a committee may vote on the bill it is considering and can approve, reject or table it. If the committee approves extensive amendments, it may decide to report a new bill with all those changes or to “table” the original legislation. The results of committee votes are shown on Minnesota Legislation and Bill Status under Committee Actions.