Democratic News

Press Releases 12/19/2011
Rockefeller Encourages Speaker Boehner to Remember FAA Conference Request
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement after House leaders insisted they hold a House-Senate conference committee meeting on the payroll tax:
Press Releases 12/19/2011
Rockefeller Investigates Consumer Complaints of Moving Companies Holding Furniture & Possessions Hostage
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV announced today that the Committee is conducting an investigation into the practice of moving companies holding household goods “hostage” to extract additional money from individuals and families mid-way through their moves.
Press Releases 12/17/2011
Rockefeller Disappointed Public Safety Measures Not Included in Payroll Tax Agreement
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement regarding ongoing efforts to create a nationwide public safety communications network:
Press Releases 12/15/2011
Rockefeller Says Defense Bill Protects Taxpayers, Promotes U.S. Technological Innovation
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1540) adopted by the Senate today included tough new measures to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV authored these measures after a Commerce Committee investigation found evidence that funds awarded through these two technology innovation programs were being misused.
Press Releases 12/15/2011
Senate Chairmen Join Cummings' Investigation of "Gray Market" Drug Companies
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV and Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, joined Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in his investigation of “gray market” companies that trade in drugs in critically short supply.
Press Releases 12/15/2011
Chairman Rockefeller Remarks on Environmental Risk of Genetically Engineered Fish
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Good morning. We’re holding this hearing today to discuss the potential environmental risks of genetically engineered fish. The hearing could not be timelier: as I speak, the FDA may be finalizing approval of the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption in the U.S. This is truly ground breaking and for many, this is concerning. The “AquaAdvantage” salmon has been engineered to grow faster and heartier than its natural counterpart by mixing genes from three different fish species, so its filets can quickly get from the fish pen to your dinner table.
Press Releases 12/14/2011
Rockefeller Statement on Public Safety Network
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement today:
Press Releases 12/14/2011
Senate Approves Pipeline Safety Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Senate unanimously approved the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, which will strengthen pipeline safety oversight by the federal government and address long-standing safety issues.
Press Releases 12/14/2011
Rockefeller Remarks on Today's Surface Transportation Markup
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that highway deaths fell to 32,885 for the year, the lowest level since 1949. The record-breaking decline in traffic fatalities occurred even as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year. Importantly, our decade-long effort to reduce drunk driving is making a real impact. Deaths in crashes involving drunk drivers dropped almost 5% in 2010. Despite generally positive trends, all the news was not good. DOT noted that fatalities rose among pedestrians, motorcycle riders, and large truck occupants.
Press Releases 12/8/2011
Rockefeller Statement on Committee Approval of FTC, FCC Nominations
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV issued the following statement today after the Commerce Committee voted in favor of sending key Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nominations to the full Senate for its consideration: