Rockefeller, Lautenberg Lead Effort to Reject Republican Cuts to Passenger Rail Service and Amtrak

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Surface Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) today called on Senate Appropriations Committee leaders to protect funding for Amtrak, high-speed rail corridors and intercity passenger rail service, which are under attack by House Republicans. Lautenberg is the author of the 2008 Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act to enhance Amtrak and broaden the passenger rail programs.

Senators Brown and Hutchison Introduce Bipartisan Motorcoach Safety Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) announced that tomorrow, on the 4th anniversary of the Bluffton University motorcoach crash that claimed seven lives, they will reintroduce legislation to strengthen bus safety and improve driver training to reduce the number of motorcoach crashes and related fatalities. Brown and Hutchison have introduced the legislation together in the previous two Congresses. U.S. Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is introducing a companion bill in the House of Representatives.

Rockefeller Op-Ed Asks NFL to Show Good Faith Effort to Break Labor Impasse

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today encouraged National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell to find a way to give the NFL Player’s Association more information on the league’s finances. In a Washington Post op-ed published today, the senator said this gesture could help avert a strike. Today’s column comes amid new reports of stalled collective bargaining negotiations between team owners and NFL players.