FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE                                                                                                                                                        CONTACT:    Todd  Mitchell  

             January  13,  2011                                                                                                                                                                                                                            202-­‐226-­‐9691    

LANCE  NAMED  TO  THE  ENERGY  AND  COMMERCE  COMMITTEE  

 
New  Appointment  Will  Help  7th  District  Lawmaker  Better  Serve  New  Jersey’s  Job  Creators;  Strengthen  State  Economy
 
WASHINGTON,  DC  —  Congressman  Leonard  Lance  has  been  appointed  to  the  House  Energy  and  Commerce  
Committee.    As  a  member  of  the  powerful  committee  Lance  will  play  a  greater  role  in  protecting  and  growing  
jobs  in  New  Jersey’s  energy,  life  sciences  and  telecommunication  sectors.
 
“I  am  honored  to  have  been  selected  by  my  colleagues  to  join  the  House  Energy  and  Commerce  Committee,”  
Lance  said.    “This  appointment  will  allow  me  to  better  represent  the  tens  of  thousands  of  New  Jerseyeans  who  
work  in  the  energy,  health,  telecommunications  and  life  sciences  industries.    I  look  forward  to  working  in  a  
bipartisan  capacity  to  help  strengthen  our  state  economy  and  bring  more  jobs  to  the  Garden  State.”
 
The  Committee  on  Energy  and  Commerce  has  a  broad  legislative  jurisdiction  including  national  energy  and  
environmental  policy,  health  and  health  facilities,  interstate  and  foreign  commerce,  consumer  affairs  and  
consumer  protection,  and  travel  and  tourism.  The  panel’s  incoming  chairman  has  indicated  that  his  first  priority  is  
to  repeal  President  Obama’s  health  care  law  and  replace  it  with  common-­‐sense  reforms  that  include  small  
business  pooling  and  medical  malpractice  reform.
 
Leonard  Lance’s  appointment  adds  to  New  Jersey’s  Seventh  Congressional  District’s  long  history  on  service  on  the  
influential  panel.    Lance’s  predecessor  Mike  Ferguson  was  a  member  of  the  committee  from  2003  to  2008  and  
former  Seventh  District  Representative  Matthew  Rinaldo  served  17  years  on  Energy  and  Commerce.
 
In  addition  to  his  full  committee  assignment  the  Seventh  District  lawmaker  was  appointed  to  two  
Subcommittees.    Lance  will  serve  on  the  Health  Subcommittee  as  well  as  the  Commerce,  Manufacturing  and  
Trade  Subcommittee.    The  Health  Subcommittee  appointment  is  particularly  important  to  the  more  than  42,000  
life  sciences  employees  working  in  the  Garden  State.
 
“I’d  like  to  congratulate  Congressman  Leonard  Lance  on  being  selected  to  the  Energy  and  Commerce  
Committee,”  said  House  Energy  and  Commerce  Committee  chairman  Fred  Upton  (MI-­‐6).    “Since  coming  to  
Congress  Leonard  has  been  a  champion  for  New  Jersey’s  breakthrough  biotechnology  industry  —  opposing  
costly  mandates  under  ObamaCare  and  fighting  against  higher  taxes,  including  those  on  medical  device  
manufacturers.”    
 
The  House  Republican  Conference  approved  Lance’s  appointment  yesterday  following  last  week’s  
recommendation  by  the  Republican  Steering  Committee  –  a  panel  comprised  of  elected  leadership,  committee  
chairs,  regional  representatives  and  incoming  first-­‐term  members.    Lance  leaves  the  House  Financial  Services  
Committee  where  he  served  during  his  first  term  in  Washington.  
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