This blog is written by Ulman Public Policy, TCIA’s Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and lobbying partner.

The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee finalized its committee and subcommittee membership rosters for the 119th Congress. The committee has jurisdiction over higher education and employment issues, including wage and hour regulation, occupational safety and health, workforce development initiatives, and labor relations.

The HELP Committee is the Senate counterpart to the House Education and Workforce Committee. The committee comprises 12 Republican members and 11 Democratic members.  As the 2024 election resulted in a Republican majority in the Senate, Former Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Former Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) have traded positions with Cassidy taking the chairmanship and Sanders shifting to the Ranking Member role. Some of Cassidy’s priorities as Chair include improving the U.S. response to natural disasters such as the recent California wildfires and protecting workers’ rights and flexibilities. With Republican control in both the House and the Senate, Cassidy may be able to pass meaningful legislation that would garner support from the House and the President and provide oversight of OSHA’s regulatory efforts, such as the Tree Care Standard.

In addition to leadership changes at the full committee level, there have been several changes to membership on the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, the subcommittee most relevant to TCIA and its advocacy.

The Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety has jurisdiction over issues relevant to TCIA such as worker health and safety, wage and hour laws, and workforce training. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) will serve as Chair of the subcommittee and Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) will serve as Ranking Member. Senator Hickenlooper previously served as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety in the 118th Congress. In this role he demonstrated strong support for TCIA’s advocacy by writing, alongside the Ranking Member and leadership of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, to OSHA urging the agency to prioritize a Tree Care Standard.

While TCIA will monitor committee activity and keep members apprised of any significant hearings or updates, below is a snapshot of the new members who have joined the committee for the 119th Congress.

New Committee Member Highlights

In addition to the Committee’s returning members, the following Representatives have joined the HELP committee:

• Josh Hawley (R-MO): Before joining the U.S. Senate in 2019, Hawley served as Missouri’s Attorney General and is a constitutional lawyer by profession. During his time in Congress, Hawley has worked to protect American workers from big business, big government, and foreign trade. Hawley has recently asserted himself as an ally to unions, promoting legislation such as the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, and circulating his own Pro-labor Framework for the 119th Congress.
• Jim Banks (R-IN): Banks was elected to the Senate in the November 2024 election taking the vacant seat left by Former Indiana Senator Braun after he opted to run for Governor instead of seeking re-election. Before becoming a Senator, Banks served four terms in the U.S. House representing Indiana’s third Congressional District and sitting on the E&W committee, amongst others. Banks also served in the IN State Senate from 2010-2016, taking a short leave of absence to deploy to Afghanistan. According to his campaign, Banks plans to pursue traditional conservative priorities.
• Jon Husted (R-OH): Husted was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2025 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Vice President J.D. Vance. Before serving in the U.S. Congress, Husted served many roles in the Ohio State Government including Speaker of the House, Senate Member, Secretary of State, and Lieutenant Governor. As a Senator, his priorities include economics, technology, and giving decision-making power to state and local levels of government.
• Ashley Moody (R-FL): Moody was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Before joining the U.S. Congress, Moody served as the Attorney General of Florida. She is a lawyer by profession, having served as assistant United States attorney for the Middle District of Florida, and a circuit court judge for a decade. Moody spent most of her tenure as Attorney General pursuing a conservative agenda.
• Andy Kim (D-NJ): Kim won election to the Senate this election cycle, taking the seat vacated by Bob Menendez’s resignation. Before the election, Kim served three terms in the U.S. House, representing New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District. During his time in the House, Kim served on the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Small Business Committees. Kim is a career public servant, working under Democrats and Republicans at USAID, the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House National Security Counsel, and in Afghanistan. According to his campaign, Kim’s policy priorities include supporting small businesses, protecting the environment, and creating jobs.
• Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE): Rochester was elected to the Senate in 2024 after serving four terms as Delaware’s sole representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rochester became a leading voice in Congress on workforce issues due to her former positions as Secretary of Labor and State Personnel Director. In addition, she founded and co-chaired the bipartisan Congressional Future of Work Caucus in the House. According to her campaign, her labor priorities include creating jobs, expanding job training, and apprenticeship programs.
• Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD): Alsobrooks was elected to the United States Senate in 2024 after spending most of her life in public service. She is a lawyer by profession, having worked as a law clerk in the Howard County Circuit Court and later the Baltimore City Circuit Court before being elected Prince George’s County State’s Attorney. According to her campaign, Alsobrooks’s policy priorities include a federal increase to the minimum wage, passing the PRO Act, and promoting career and technical education options.

TCIA advocates Washington on behalf of all our members, and the tree care industry at large. To learn more about the issues we’re discussing, or how we make your voices heard in Washington, visit advocacy.tcia.org.

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