Committee InfoDescriptionHello representatives and welcome to the Standing House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the main investigative committee in the House of Representatives. The committee has the authority to investigate not only subjects within its own committee’s legislative jurisdiction, but also “any matter” within the jurisdiction of the other standing House Committees.Recently, the committee has launched a sweeping investigation into the causes of the financial collapse. Much of this investigation has centered on the controversy over Bank of America’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch, and how this private deal turned into a federal bailout. The committee is also responsible for oversight of spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The current chairman of the House Committee on Oversight is Ed Towns (D), a 14 term Congressman from New York’s 10th District. As chairman of the committee, Towns has the jurisdiction to investigate all federal programs and any program with federal policy implications. This power is unique among those granted to other chairs in the American congress, and demonstrates the Committee on Oversight’s wide power and responsibility. One of the most recent special actions taken by the Oversight Committee is the Appointment of a Special Inspector General tasked with personally auditing the Toxic Asset Relief Program (TARP). Given its unique responsibilities, the committee has been at the center of investigating every major internal government incident in recent memory. This committee was responsible for inquiries into the CIA failures leading up to the 9/11 terror attacks, torture at Abu Ghraib prison, the failure of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina, the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson’s confidential status, NASA’s cover-up of global warming findings, and the dealings of Jack Abramoff. If you are still interested in learning more about the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, view their website at http://oversight.house.gov/ or the Library of Congress’ website at Thomas.loc.gov. ---------------- My name is Meredith Freed, and I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. I am majoring in American History and Political Science and minoring in Africana Studies. This is my fourth Penn Model Congress. I am from Cleveland, Ohio and am a huge fan of Cleveland sports. I am also a Resident Advisor and a member of Alpha Phi Sorority. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or concerns you might have. The issues we will be debating are extremely complicated, and I hope this jurisdiction paper can serve as a useful reference for this exciting committee. My e-mail address is freed@sas.upenn.edu. I look forward to working with all of you. See you in February! My name is Jack Solowey and I am a member of the Class of 2013 in the School of Arts and Sciences. I am currently on a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics track which is Penn slang for “I don't know what I want to do with my life.” I hail from the verdant hills of Westchester county New York, home of retired Bill Clinton and the Cluckin’ Russian sandwich. I attended Fox Lane High School, known throughout the state of New York for its incredibly limber student body. The average score on the sit and reach was like a 50! In high school I was President of our Model Congress delegation and participated in multiple conferences at Penn, Yale, and Columbia, bringing home multiple gavels (great success!). At Penn I am a proud member of our Parliamentary Debate Team and a free lance writer for the Punch Bowl humor magazine (I would say a full member but I don't go to the meetings). If you have any questions regarding debate, bill writing, Penn, or contemporary lyricism feel free to contact me at jacksol@sas.upenn.edu. I'm looking forward to meeting each and every one of you. You are all snowflakes, dusting the future with the crystalline wonder of your individuality. Semper Fi and Zay Gezunt! Chairs
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Account LoginConference DatesMarch 31 - April 3, 2011 RegistrationRegistration is now closed. InformationClick here for more details about PENNMC 2011! Check us out on Facebook!
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