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 and Hutchison Announce Subcommittee Assignments
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today announced the full list of subcommittee assignments for the 112th Congress:
Rockefeller and Hutchison Announce Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today announced the Subcommittee Chairmen and Ranking Members for the 112th Congress.
Hutchison Introduces Bill to Reform Rail Regulations, While Maintaining System Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced legislation that would reform the Positive Train Control (PTC) regulatory mandate to reduce compliance costs, while maintaining a safe rail system. The legislation is cosponsored by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). PTC is an automated technology that is capable of preventing train collisions, overspeed derailments and injuries to railroad employees. In 2008, Congress required the railroads to implement PTC technology on rail lines that carry passengers or certain types of very toxic chemicals by December 2015.
Hutchison: TSA Decision on Collective Bargaining Will Hurt Security Mission
WASHINGTON, D.C. –Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today said that the Transportation Security Administrator’s decision to allow collective bargaining for airport screeners would hurt the agency’s fundamental security mission.
Hutchison Statement on Nomination of Ms. Ann Begeman to the Surface Transportation Board
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today made the following statement after President Barack Obama nominated Ms. Ann D. Begeman, current Republican Staff Director of the Commerce Committee, to be a member of the Surface Transportation Board. Ms. Begeman was nominated for a Republican slot on the Board that oversees railroad rate and service disputes.
Chairman Rockefeller and Ranking Member Hutchison Introduce Bipartisan Port Security Bill
WASHINGTON, DC — Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee, have introduced the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2010 (S. 3639), a bill to strengthen security at our nation’s ports by focusing resources on critical areas, including Especially Hazardous Cargo, small vessel security, and global supply chain security.
Senate Commerce Committee Approves Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Bill, America COMPETES, and Spectrum Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held an executive session and favorably reported out the following legislation:
Committee Approves Hutchison Legislation to Improve Oil Spill Response and Mitigation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved legislation sponsored by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Committee, to improve oil spill response capabilities by enhancing the United States Coast Guard’s ability to prepare for and respond to offshore oil spills along coastal waterways.
Hutchison Calls on President to Temporarily Waive Jones Act to Assist with Gulf Oil Spill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing today to consider various legal remedies available for the oil spill in the Gulf, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Committee, called on President Obama to waive the Jones Act to temporarily allow foreign marine vessels to assist with oil cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. Hutchison noted that it has been more than two months since the oil spill began, and an estimated 140 million gallons of oil have leaked into the Gulf.