The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is a US Senate committee, founded in 1971 to place legislative and oversight responsibility for veterans' benefits and services with a single committee. Its jurisdiction is outlined in Rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate:
"(p) Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to which committee shall be referred all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the following subjects:
  1. Compensation of veterans.
  2. Life insurance issued by the Government on account of service in the Armed Forces.
  3. National cemeteries.
  4. Pensions of all wars of the United States, general and special.
  5. Readjustment of servicemen to civil life.
  6. Soldiers' and sailors' civil relief.
  7. Veterans' hospitals, medical care and treatment of veterans.
  8. Veterans' measures generally.
  9. Vocational rehabilitation and education of veterans."1

The Veterans' Affairs Committee has no subcommittees and is relatively small, containing 14 members, 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats. It is chaired by Republican Senator Arlen Specter.

MEMBER               APPOINTED POSITION     MEMBER               APPOINTED POSITION
Specter (R - PA)      01-05-81 Chairman     Rockefeller (D - WV)  03-05-85 Ranking
Murkowski (R - AK)    01-05-81              Graham (D - FL)       01-06-87
Thurmond (R - SC)     01-29-71              Akaka (D - HI)        05-16-90
Jeffords (R - VT)     02-02-89              Wellstone (D - MN)    03-28-95
Campbell (R - CO)     03-24-95              Murray (D - WA)       01-03-96
Craig (R - ID)        01-06-95              Miller (D - GA)       09-12-00
Hutchinson (R - AR)   01-09-97              Nelson (D - NE)       01-23-01


1 Committee on Rules and Administration, United States Senate, Authority and Rules of Senate Committees, 1997-98, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1997.

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