Republican News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, will convene a hearing titled, “The PACT Act and Section 230: The Impact of the Law that Helped Create the Internet and an Examination of Proposed Reforms for Today’s Online World,” at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The hearing will examine the important role of Section 230 in promoting and disseminating speech online, and the history, evolution, and expansion of Section 230’s protections for online platforms.

U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman of the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, today issued the following statement after the Court of Justice of the European Union invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. The Privacy Shield provides a method for companies to transfer personal data to the United States from the European Union in compliance with EU data protection requirements and in support of transatlantic commerce.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today sent a letter to Jack Dorsey, Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, expressing concern following yesterday’s widespread hack of numerous prominent Twitter accounts.

U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, will convene a hearing titled, “The State of U.S. Spectrum Policy,” at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2020. The hearing will examine the Federal Communications Commission’s and National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s role in spectrum management and policymaking. Witnesses will have the opportunity to discuss how the increased demand and competition for licensed and unlicensed spectrum resources have impacted spectrum policies in the United States.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene an executive session on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at 9:45 a.m. in Dirksen Senate Office Building G50 to consider the following legislative measures and nominations:

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman of the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, will convene a hearing titled, “Protecting Americans from COVID-19 Scams,” at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The hearing will examine the rise of scams that are occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnesses will have the opportunity to discuss ways businesses and federal and state governments are combatting COVID-19 related scams and what more can be done to protect the public.

U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today introduced the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2020. The legislation would reauthorize the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which supports about $650 million annually in fishery restoration and conservation programs, boating access and infrastructure, as well as fish stocking programs important to recreational anglers. The legislation would also authorize studies on the impacts of non-motorized vessel use on vessel waterway access as well as the impact of abandoned vessels.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing titled, “Exploring a Compensation Framework for Intercollegiate Athletes,” at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2020. This hearing will examine the National Collegiate Athletic Association Board of Governors’ recent report on student-athlete compensation and the modernization of rules related to name, image, and likeness (NIL) commercialization. Witnesses will have the opportunity to discuss topics regarding commercial use of student-athletes’ NIL while preserving the integrity of collegiate institutions and amateurism in college sports.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Safety, will convene a hearing titled, “Safety on Our Roads: Overview of Traffic Safety and NHTSA Grant Programs,” at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. The hearing will examine the implementation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) highway safety grant programs, as well as key highway traffic safety issues.

U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., today released the following statements upon introduction of the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Act of 2020. This legislation would expedite the deployment of broadband service by creating a fund to be used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to incentivize winning bidders of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction to complete their buildout obligations on a shorter timeline.