Democratic News

Press Releases 10/31/2013
Rockefeller Welcomes Senator Booker to the Senate Commerce Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement welcoming Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Press Releases 10/31/2013
Rockefeller Warns Passenger Use of Electronic Devices Must Not Compromise Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined that airlines can allow passenger use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) during the entire flight – including taxi, takeoff, and landing. Carriers will have to prove to the FAA that each type of aircraft can function safely while passengers use their devices. Passengers will still have to turn off the cellular service to use their device.
Press Releases 10/30/2013
Rockefeller, Udall React to New IOM Report on Sports Equipment and Concussions
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.V.) and Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) today released the following statements after the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies released a report concluding there is little to no medical evidence that youth equipment protects against risks of concussions. At Rockefeller and Udall’s urging, the IOM studied how best to protect young athletes from sports-related concussions so parents and coaches can make informed decisions about how to keep athletes safe.
Press Releases 10/29/2013
Rockefeller Statement on Confirmation of Tom Wheeler and Mike O'Rielly to the FCC
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today issued the following statement after Tom Wheeler and Mike O’Rielly were confirmed to be Chairman and Commissioner, respectively, of the Federal Communications Commission.
Press Releases 10/24/2013
Rockefeller's Latest Letter to Experian Requests Information on Reported Data Disclosures to Identity Theft Services
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV yesterday sent a letter to Experian as part of his ongoing investigation into the data broker industry. Thus far, Experian has refused to fully respond to questions about identities of customers who purchase its data and specific sources of its data, as requested by Rockefeller’s October 9, 2012 letter to nine data brokers when he launched the investigation.
Press Releases 10/21/2013
Rockefeller Announces Departure of Chief of Staff Kerry Ates; James Reid Will Succeed Ates as Chief of Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today announced that Kerry A. Ates, who has served as his long-time Chief of Staff, will be departing in mid-December to assume the role of vice president and chief of staff at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, beginning in January 2014.
Press Releases 10/18/2013
Rockefeller Statement on Homeland Security Secretary Nominee Jeh Johnson
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released the following statement on the president’s nomination of Jeh Johnson to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
Press Releases 10/11/2013
Rockefeller Says Government Shutdown is "Doing Great Harm to Our Country"
WASHINGTON, DC -- Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV gave opening remarks at today's U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing titled, "The Impacts of the Government Shutdown on Our Economic Security."
Press Releases 10/11/2013
Rockefeller Releases Report on Impacts of the Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today released a report titled, “Impacts of the 2013 Government Shutdown” – a snapshot of the impacts of the government shutdown to the public and the U.S. economy. The report was released during the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing titled, “The Impacts of the Government Shutdown on Our Economic Security,” on Friday, October 11, 2013 at 1:00 p.m.
Press Releases 08/1/2013
Rockefeller Introduces Tax Bills to Make Sure Cruise Lines Are Paying Their Fair Share
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today introduced legislation today to close a tax loophole, currently exploited by the cruise industry, that has given cruise lines the ability to avoid paying U.S. income tax. For the past seven years, Carnival and Royal Caribbean – which represent 71 percent of the global cruise industry – paid an effective worldwide tax rate of just 1.3 percent on more than $17 billion in profits. Because this figure includes foreign taxes, the cruise industry’s effective U.S. tax rate is actually much lower than 1.3 percent. Rockefeller’s legislation would eliminate this outrageous exemption by requiring cruise lines to pay their fair share of taxes and support the federal resources on which they heavily rely.