WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement on the Senate’s unanimous consent action to reconfirm Ann Begeman, a native of Humboldt, S.D., to a term expiring December 31, 2020, on the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

“Ann Begeman’s reconfirmation helps ensure the continuity of efforts at the Surface Transportation Board to implement the first-ever reforms approved by Congress in the agency’s two-decade history. Ann is a trusted leader and her rapid reconfirmation by the Senate after we received her nomination from the White House speaks volumes about her respected work on the board, as a former member of the Senate Commerce Committee staff, and as a proud South Dakotan.”

The STB is the federal regulatory body responsible for economic oversight of the nation's freight rail system. The agency, run by a bipartisan board, has regulatory jurisdiction over railroad rates, mergers, line acquisitions, new rail-line construction, line abandonment, and other rail issues. Thune authored a major rail reform package, The STB Reauthorization Act of 2015, which was the first legislative reform of the agency since its creation and was signed into law in December 2015.

The Senate Commerce Committee has legislative jurisdiction over the STB and approved Begeman’s nomination on December 7, 2016, by voice vote at an off-the-floor markup.

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