Hearings

Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at approximately 2:45 p.m. titled, “Delivering Better Health Care Value to Consumers: The First Three Years of the Medical Loss Ratio”. The hearing will examine the impact the minimum medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements in health care reform have had on making sure that health insurers are accountable to consumers and provide appropriate value for premium dollars. Under these provisions, health insurers must provide consumers rebates if the plans do not spend sufficient premium dollars on actual medical care as opposed to non-medical administrative expenses including profits.

Washington, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is postponing the hearing titled, “Promoting the Well-Being and Academic Success of College Athletes” previously scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. The hearing will be rescheduled for a date following the Memorial Day recess. ###

Washington, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today announced the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. titled, “Surface Transportation Reauthorization: Progress, Challenges, and Next Steps”. This hearing will focus on the reauthorization of surface transportation programs, and a review of the Administration’s surface transportation reauthorization proposal, the “GROW AMERICA Act”. In addition, the hearing will highlight the need to allocate more resources to underfunded areas of the nation’s transportation system, including to programs that move freight, focus on safety, and concentrate on growing rail service.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Science and Space will hold a hearing at the Miami Beach City Hall on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. titled, “Leading the Way: Adapting to South Florida’s Changing Coastline”. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) will chair this hearing on the 44th anniversary of Earth Day. The hearing will provide an overview of climate science analyses conducted by federal agencies, and by Florida universities, that inform state and local government adaptation plans. Witnesses will discuss the economic impacts of climate change to Florida’s tourism and insurance industries, as well as efforts to reduce the carbon emissions that drive climate change. Florida has recorded between five and eight inches of sea level rise in the past 50 years. Due to climate change, Florida could experience up to three feet of sea level rise by 2100. The impacts of flooding, saltwater intrusion, and land erosion on Florida’s coastal habitats and economies have prompted local governments to action. Sen. Nelson will lead the discussion on the steps already underway and explore potential new solutions to these growing problems.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today announced the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Science and Space will hold a hearing on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. titled, “From Here to Mars.” The hearing will feature experts on NASA exploration strategy, international cooperation in space, and commercial space efforts.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance will hold a hearing on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. titled, “Examining the GM Recall and NHTSA’s Defect Investigation Process,” chaired by Consumer Protection Subcommittee chair Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO). This hearing will examine General Motors’ (GM) announcement in February of a safety recall affecting 1.6 million vehicles for defective ignition switches that have caused at least 12 deaths. In particular, the hearing will focus on GM’s decisions over a more than 10-year period to not issue a safety recall and will consider whether the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has the capability, data, and resources to effectively monitor vehicle safety defects.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will hold a hearing on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 1:45 p.m. titled, “Protecting Personal Consumer Information from Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches”. The recent high-profile data breach at Target, and less-reported breaches at entities such as Neiman Marcus, White Lodging, Snapchat, and the University of Maryland, have highlighted the need to improve our protection of consumer data. Databases populated with sensitive information about large numbers of American consumers have been prime targets for cyber thieves for a number of years. This hearing will examine the risks to these recent data breaches pose for consumers, the current lack of federal data security protections, and several data security bills pending before the Senate Commerce Committee that would establish such federal standards.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. titled, “Enhancing Our Rail Safety: Current Challenges for Passenger and Freight Rail.” The hearing will examine the current state of safety on the nation’s passenger and freight rail networks, including a discussion of recent high-profile rail accidents, positive train control implementation, and other key safety challenges.