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Whistleblower

Issue: Maritime, Ports, Freight, Ocean Shipping

Hutchison: We Must Focus on Safety of Nation’s Oil and Gas Pipelines

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today said it was important to focus on the safety of the nation’s oil and gas pipelines during a Commerce Committee hearing on pipeline safety. “The ongoing Deepwater Horizon crisis in the Gulf is an urgent safety […]

Hutchison and LeMieux Introduce Legislation to Provide Assistance to Oil Spill Clean Up Effort

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Committee member Senator George LeMieux (R-Fla.), and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), today introduced legislation that would temporarily allow foreign marine vessels to assist with the oil cleanup effort in the Gulf of Mexico. The bill, titled the WAIVER (Water Assistance from International Vessels for Emergency Response) Act, would temporarily waive the Jones Act, which requires that all goods and people transported by water between United States ports be carried in American flagged, owned, and crewed ships. The waiver would allow foreign flagged vessels with crucial equipment to travel between U.S. ports to provide needed assistance. The Jones Act was put into place in 1920 to ensure that the United States was able to maintain a fleet of merchant ships.

Hutchison Calls for Bureaucratic Red Tape to be Cut So Foreign Vessels Can Aid in Gulf Cleanup

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor calling for an emergency waiver of the Jones Act, which requires many foreign vessels to go through a lengthy bureaucratic approval process in order to assist with the oil cleanup effort in the Gulf of Mexico. Sen. Hutchison, who is the Ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, said she will introduce legislation to temporarily waive the Jones Act to allow foreign marine vessels to help with the cleanup. This extended waiver would be applied for a period of time that is necessary to respond and restore the waters of the Gulf.

Hutchison Questions TSA Nominee on Need for Flexible Workforce to React Quickly to Emerging Threats

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing today on John Pistole, the nominee to lead the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) said she had serious concerns with collective bargaining for TSA security screeners. Senator Hutchison said it was critical for the agency to have a flexible workforce that can react quickly to emerging threats.

Committee Approves Distracted Driving Legislation Sponsored by Rockefeller and Hutchison

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved legislation (S. 1938), sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), to offer incentive grants to states that enact laws to combat distracted driving. Hutchison noted that the bill would impose no new mandates and would be funded through existing programs, spending no additional taxpayer dollars.

Hutchison: Surface Transportation Security Must Not Be Ignored

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a hearing of the Surface Transportation Subcommittee today, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, called on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure that the security of our nation’s rail, bus and highway networks be a top agency priority.