Chairman Rockefeller Probes McDonald’s Health Care Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter today to Scott Beacham, the President and Chief Executive of BCS Financial Corporation, asking for more information about the insurance products his company sells to McDonald’s hourly wage employees.

Rockefeller, Hutchison Applaud Passage of Coast Guard Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), today applauded final passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act (H.R. 3619). The comprehensive legislation authorizes the U.S. Coast Guard’s funding levels, improves management and oversight of the Coast Guard’s Deepwater fleet modernization program, and provides new tools to enhance the Coast Guard’s critical homeland security, marine safety, fisheries and environmental protection missions.

Rockefeller Statement on Senate Passage of the CALM Act

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement after the Senate passed the CALM Act (S. 2847), a bill to require the FCC to enforce internationally accepted standards of television advertisement volumes to effectively fix a problem that annoys millions of television viewers when commercials are many times louder than regular programming.

Hutchison Lauds Final Passage of Bill to Preserve America’s Future in Space

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives today approved legislation negotiated by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Chairman of the Science and Space Subcommittee, to safeguard America’s human spaceflight capabilities while balancing commercial space investment with a robust mission for NASA. The bill now moves on to the President for his signature. The other sponsors of bill are Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), David Vitter (R-La.), and George LeMieux (R-Fla.). The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate in August.

Chairman Rockefeller Praises House Passage of NASA Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, issued the following statement after the United States House of Representatives passed S. 3729, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act (NASA) of 2010. The bill now heads to the President to be signed into law.

Rockefeller Praises House Passage of Bill to Improve Communications Accessibility for People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement after the House approved the Senate version of the Equal Access to 21st Century Communications Act (S. 3304). The legislation will update existing disabilities law to reflect accessibility to new and emerging technologies. The bill will now be sent to President Obama to be signed into law.

Lautenberg, Rockefeller Introduce Pipeline Safety Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and U.S. Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced legislation to enhance pipeline safety efforts nationwide. The bill strengthens pipeline safety oversight by the federal government and addresses long-standing safety issues, including the use of automatic shutoff valves—which could have reduced the extent of damage caused in the San Bruno, California explosion.

Chairman Rockefeller Remarks on Pipeline Safety: Assessing the San Bruno, California Explosion and Other Recent Accidents

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Let me be clear: I believe safety should be the bedrock of any responsible industry. This goes for all companies, big or small, from the coal fields of West Virginia, to the manufacturers of automobiles. Whether you are a worker in a coal mine or live near a pipeline, we must do all that we can to make our industries as safe as possible. And safety must never take a backseat to profit.