What the Joint Economic Committee Is: The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) was created when Congress passed the Employment Act of 1946. Under this Act, Congress established two advisory panels: the President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) and the Joint Economic Committee. There are 10 members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the Chairmanship alternates between the two every Congress.
What the Joint Economic Committee Does: Its primary tasks are to review economic conditions and recommend improvements in economic policy. It does this by holding hearings and commissioning studies that give members of Congress information about specific economic trends and events.
How the Joint Economic Committee Affects the U.S. Economy: The Joint Economic Committee affects the economy by highlighting issues that are of concern to various legislators. The reports and hearings that ensue inform decisions made by legislators about bills and the budget. Since the JEC serves your representatives, it may be more provincial in the economic issues it covers. For example, it might highlight trade protectionism and dumping to protect local industries.
How the Joint Economic Committee Affects You: In addition to how the JEC affects the economy, it can affect you by providing information about various economic issues. Since the JEC leadership changes each year, your best bet is to Google “Joint Economic Committee” to find the active web site for the leader that year.
