WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today announced his priorities and goals for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the 112th Congress:

“I look forward to working with my colleagues to tackle issues that are critical to America’s future,” Rockefeller said. “In the new Congress, I will continue my fight to bring modern day protections for consumers and accountability to fraudsters, promote high-tech job creation and competitiveness, and keep Americans safe, secure, and on the move. I intend to not only complete a number of top priorities that I began in the 111th Congress, but also take on a number of new challenges Americans are facing every day.”

Key Priorities for the U.S. Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the 112th Congress Include:

A FOCUS ON JOBS, ECONOMIC SECURITY AND GROWTH

• Building out America’s manufacturing sector and promoting exports

• Bolstering our infrastructure through:

o Improving transportation in the highway, rail, pipeline, and maritime sectors;

o Making necessary investments in our nation’s aviation infrastructure and air service development; and

o Broadband deployment and Universal Service Fund reform

• Alleviating the financial pinch felt by railroad shippers nationwide

• Strengthening our commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education through the America COMPETES Act

• Implementing the NASA Authorization Act of 2010

• Protecting coastal economies, jobs, and our nation’s valuable energy resources through continued oversight of the Gulf spill recovery efforts and long term restoration 

A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO AMERICA’S HOMELAND SECURITY

• Enacting comprehensive cybersecurity legislation

• Ensuring the necessary public safety communications resources for our nation’s first responders

• Reinforcing constructive advancements to Transportation Security Administration screening and improving security in all modes of transportation

• Improving security of our cargo and general aviation traffic

• Securing our ports and the transportation of chemicals

• Increasing the Coast Guard’s response capabilities

• Keeping Americans safe by improving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s weather forecasting and disaster preparedness

• Protecting the federal government’s investments in biometrics 

21st CENTURY CONSUMER PROTECTION & SAFETY

• Continuing oversight of important federal agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Surface Transportation Board, and the Federal Communications Commission

• Protecting consumer information and privacy on the Internet

• Cracking down on consumer fraud, including online billing scams

• Furthering efforts to make our nation’s highways safer and eliminate distracted driving

• Increasing motor vehicle and truck safety by passing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Reauthorizations

• Granting victims injured or killed offshore—such as the victims and families of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy—parity with those injured or killed onshore

• Boosting the accuracy and effectiveness of forensic science by employing the National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Science Foundation scientific and standards expertise

###