From their website:
“The power of Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce – the ‘commerce clause’ of the Constitution – is at the very core of Congress’s role and responsibility in the American political system. It is, thus, not surprising that the House Energy and Commerce Committee became one of the first standing committees created in Congress in 1795. It stands today as the oldest continuous standing committee in the House and as a committee which is at the crossroads of almost every significant policy area that Congress considers, from the economy and health care to telecommunications, transportation, energy and the environment.” –– Norman J. Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, at a U.S. Capitol Historical Society dinner in 1995.
As our nation has grown and modernized, so too has the Committee’s jurisdiction over commerce – expanding to health care, environmental protection, national energy policy, communications and consumer protection.
Over its more than 200 year history, the committee has had four different names – Commerce and Manufactures (1795-1819), Commerce (1819-1891 & 1995-2001), Interstate and Foreign Commerce (1891-1981) and Energy and Commerce (1981-1995 & 2001-Today).
While its name has changed over time, the Committee has been at the forefront of developing landmark laws that impact the day-to-day lives of all Americans through its broad jurisdiction over commerce.
From Wikipedia:
The Committee was originally formed as the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures on December 14, 1795. Prior to this, legislation was drafted in the Committee of the Whole or in special ad hoc committees, appointed for specific limited purposes. However the growing demands of the new nation required that Congress establish a permanent committee to manage its constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause to "regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States."
From this time forward, as the nation grew and Congress dealt with new public policy concerns and created new committees, the Energy and Commerce Committee has maintained its central position as Congress's monitor of commercial progress—a focus reflected in its changing jurisdiction, both in name and practice.
In 1819, the Committee’s name was changed to the Committee on Commerce, reflecting the creation of a separate Manufacturers Committee and also the increasing scope of and complexity of American commercial activity, which was expanding the Committee’s jurisdiction from navigational aids and the nascent general health service to foreign trade and tariffs. Thomas J. Bliley, who chaired the Committee from 1995 to 2000, chose to use this traditional name, which underscores the Committee's role for Congress on this front.
In 1891, in emphasis of the Committee's evolving activities, the name was again changed to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce—a title it maintained until 1981, when, under incoming Chairman John Dingell, the Committee first assumed what is now its present name to emphasize its lead role in guiding the energy policy of the United States. Dingell regained chairmanship of the committee in 2007 after having served as ranking member since 1995. In late 2008, Henry Waxman initiated a successful challenge to unseat Dingell as chairman. His challenge was unusual as the party caucus traditionally elects chairmen based on committee seniority. Waxman formally became chairman at the start of the 111th Congress.
