- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate early Saturday morning unanimously approved nominees discharged from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee for positions with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Board, the National Oceanic and Atmosphe...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate today unanimously approved S. 362, the “Marine Debris Research and Reduction Act” (S. 362), which the House of Representatives approved unanimously on September 27, 2006. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), creates a comprehensive national effort to reverse the detrimental impact of marine-borne trash on coastal s...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week approved S. 1608, the “Undertaking Spam, Spyware, And Fraud Enforcement With Enforcers Beyond Borders Act of 2006” (US SAFE WEB Act of 2006). The measure was sponsored by Senator Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and co-sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairmen Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), as well as Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.),...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate this week approved a resolution (S. Res. 628) honoring the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the 200th anniversary of its Coast and Geodetic Survey (CGS), originally authorized by President Thomas Jefferson. The Resolution recognizes the bicentennial of the Coast and Geodetic Survey’s two centuries of contributions t...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate today passed H.R. 4709, the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) was a co-sponsor of the Senate companion to the House legislation, S. 2178. The measure will criminalize the practice of “pretexting,” which consists of obtaining confidential phone records info...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week passed the Call Home Act of 2006 (S. 2653). This legislation will direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in coordination with the Department of Defense and the Department of State, to seek to reduce phone rates for Armed Forces personnel deployed overseas. The bill was originally introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Steven...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week approved the United States-Russia Polar Bear Conservation and Management Act of 2006. The measure was included as part of H.R. 5946, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006. The original Senate bill, which implements the provisions of bilateral treaty between the United States and Russia on the Conservation a...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week approved H.R. 5946, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006. The sweeping fisheries improvement legislation has received broad bipartisan support in Congress and was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Co-Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). The Senate Commerce Commit...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week approved the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (H.R. 1674), which would expand and strengthen the nation’s tsunami detection and warning system. The bill was patterned on S. 50, legislation authored by Senate Commerce Committee Co-Chairmen Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) after the devastating Indonesian tsunami in December 2004....

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week passed H.R. 6344 the National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 which included language similar to S. 529 a bill to designate a United States Anti-Doping Agency. S. 529 was passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee on September 27, 2006. Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and senior Committee Member John McCain (R-Ariz...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) today released the following statement praising the decision by the Federal Communications Commission’s General Counsel to allow Commissioner Robert McDowell to participate in the AT&T-BellSouth merger proceeding. “This merger has been under consideration for almost nine months. The Commission consi...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week approved the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement, and Safety Act of 2006 (PIPES Act) originally introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairmen Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). Chairmen Stevens and Inouye introduced the PIPES Act on September 27, 2006 along with Senators Lott (R-Miss.) and Lautenberg (D-N.J.). On November ...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week passed the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2006 (H.R. 5076). The measure was passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and reauthorizes NTSB appropriations for two years. A similar bill (S. 3679) was approved earlier this year by the Senate Commerce Committee and was passed by unanimous consent by the Senate o...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week unanimously approved H.R. 758, the Aerospace Revitalization Task Force bill sponsored by Rep. Vern Ehlers (MI-3). The measure will now be sent to the President for his consideration H.R. 758, the Aerospace Revitalization Task Force bill, establishes the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force to develop a strategy for the federal government ...

- WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congress this week unanimously approved H.R. 4583, Wool Suit Fabric Labeling Fairness and International Standards Conforming Act sponsored by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN-7). The measure will now be sent to the President for his consideration. H.R. 4583, the Wool Suit Fabric Labeling Fairness and International Standards Conforming Act, amends the Wool Products Labeling Ac...