Committee Announces Third Aviation Safety Hearing
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing titled, “Examining the Federal Aviation Administration’s Oversight of Aircraft Certification,” at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. The hearing will provide an opportunity to review issues associated with the design, development, certification, and operation of the Boeing 737 MAX following two international accidents in the past two years. The hearing will also consider potential opportunities to reform the certification process for transport-category aircraft.
Committee Announces Nominations Hearing
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a nominations hearing on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. The hearing will consider presidential nominations to the Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission.
Wicker, Cantwell Seek Stakeholder Feedback Regarding Pandemic Impacts on Passenger Transportation Network
U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member of the Committee, today sent a letter to the American Bus Association, the United Motorcoach Association, Amtrak, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center, the Transportation Alliance, the American Car Rental Association, the […]
Wicker Requests Information from FCC on Accelerating Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I Auction
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, this week sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai requesting information on accelerating the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction.
Wicker Introduces Aviation Safety Bill
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today introduced the Aircraft Safety Improvement Act of 2020, which would improve aviation safety by codifying recommendations from a number of reviews and investigations related to the 737 MAX crashes. The legislation would mandate adoption of Safety Management Systems (SMS) for manufacturers, require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review its assumptions regarding pilot reaction time, and ensure a representative sample of pilots from around the world participate in flight testing. The bill would also reform the FAA’s certification processes to eliminate instances of undue pressure or “regulatory coziness” that could lead to lapses in safety protocols.
Cantwell, Cassidy, and Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Consumer Privacy, Promote Public Health for COVID-19 Exposure Notification Apps
Bill highlights include: voluntary participation, user consent, right to delete data at any time, verification of diagnoses, strict restrictions on data use, strong enforcement provisions WASHINGTON, D.C. – As public health officials around the country continue to explore exposure notification technologies as a way to combat the spread of COVID-19, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), […]
Wicker Commends NASA on Milestone Launch of Demo-2 Mission
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today released the following statement after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and SpaceX launched two astronauts from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a flight to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley flew on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft powered by a Falcon 9 rocket and will spend several weeks on the ISS before returning to Earth and landing in the Atlantic Ocean. The mission represents the return of human spaceflight to the United States.
Committee Announces Hearing on the Current State of Transportation and Critical Infrastructure
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing titled, “The State of Transportation and Critical Infrastructure: Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. The hearing will examine the impact of COVID-19 on surface transportation and the supply chain. Witnesses will discuss how the surface transportation stakeholders have responded to the pandemic and how they have continued to provide critical services during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Cantwell, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Bill to Promote Development And Understanding of Artificial Intelligence, Drive Economic Opportunity
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), and Ed Markey (D-MA), reintroduced legislation that would promote an enabling environment for the continued development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The forward-looking bill, known as the Fundamentally Understanding the Usability and Realistic Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Act of 2020 – or FUTURE […]
Wicker Introduces Rural Infrastructure Advancement Act
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today introduced the Rural Infrastructure Advancement Act. The legislation would establish a Rural Assistance Pilot Program to help rural communities and localities better utilize and leverage existing U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) funding and financing opportunities.