[Senate Report 114-50]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


114th Congress     }                                    {        Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session       }                                    {        114-50
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     



                     LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES REPORT

                                 OF THE

           COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                               during the

                    ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS


                              Pursuant to

                 Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the

                          United States Senate

                                     

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                     

                  May 21, 2015.--Ordered to be printed
                                     ______

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

49-010                         WASHINGTON : 2015                 
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
           COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                    ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

                   JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi         BILL NELSON, Florida
ROY BLUNT, Missouri                  MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
MARCO RUBIO, Florida                 CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri
KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire          AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
TED CRUZ, Texas                      RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska                BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas                  EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska                 CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin               TOM UDALL, New Mexico
DEAN HELLER, Nevada                  JOE MANCHIN, III, West Virginia
CORY GARDNER, Colorado               GARY PETERS, Michigan
STEVE DAINES, Montana
                    David Schwietert, Staff Director
                  Kim Lipsky, Minority Staff Director

                    ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

            JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, IV, West Virginia, Chairman
BARBARA BOXER, California            JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BILL NELSON, Florida                 ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington           ROY BLUNT, Missouri
MARK PRYOR, Arkansas                 MARCO RUBIO, Florida
CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri           KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             DEAN HELLER, Nevada
MARK BEGICH, Alaska                  DAN COATS, Indiana
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii                 TED CRUZ, Texas
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts\1\      DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
CORY A. BOOKER, New Jersey\2\,\3\    RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN WALSH, Montana\4\
                     Ellen Doneski, Staff Director
               David Schwietert, Minority Staff Director

\1\Senator Markey joined the Committee on July 16, 2013, following 
        Senator William Cowan, who served an interim appointment from 
        February 12, 2013, to July 16, 2013. Senator John Kerry served 
        on the Committee until his resignation on February 1, 2013.
\2\Senator Booker joined the Committee on October 31, 2013. Senator 
        Jeff Chiesa served an interim appointment from June 20, 2013, 
        to October 31, 2013. The late Senator Frank Lautenberg served 
        on the Committee until his death on June 3, 2013.
\3\Senator Chiesa was a Minority Member. So, Senator Martin Heinrich 
        (New Mexico) served an interim appointment from June 20, 2013, 
        to October 31, 2013, as a Majority Member.
\4\Senator Walsh joined the Committee on February 12, 2014, following 
        Senator Mark R. Warner (Virginia), who served on the Committee 
        until that date.











                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Introduction:
    Summary......................................................     1
    Jurisdiction.................................................     1
A. Legislation:
    Bills........................................................     2
    Resolutions..................................................    17
B. Nominations:
    Nominations by the numbers...................................    17
    Summary of nominations by agency.............................    19
    Hearings.....................................................    19
C. Full Committee
    Executive Sessions...........................................    21
D. Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
    Activities...................................................    25
    Hearings.....................................................    26
E. Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
    Activities...................................................    27
    Hearings.....................................................    28
F. Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness, and Innovation
    Activities...................................................    28
    Hearings.....................................................    29
G. Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and 
  Insurance
    Activities...................................................    29
    Hearings.....................................................    30
H. Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
    Activities...................................................    31
    Hearings.....................................................    32
I. Subcommittee on Science and Space
    Activities...................................................    32
    Hearings.....................................................    34
J. Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine 
  Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
    Activities...................................................    35
    Hearings.....................................................    36
K. Oversight and Investigations
    Activities...................................................    36
    Hearings.....................................................    40




114th Congress     }                                    {        Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session       }                                    {        114-50

======================================================================



 
              REPORT ON THE LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE
                 SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE,
              AND TRANSPORTATION DURING THE 113TH CONGRESS

                                _______
                                

                  May 21, 2015.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

      Mr. Thune,\1\ from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation, submitted the following:

                    REPORT ON LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES

                                Summary

    The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
conducted a legislative and oversight program during the 113th 
Congress. A total of 234 bills, 7 resolutions, 854 nominations, 
including promotions, and 2584 executive communications were 
referred to the Committee for consideration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV served as Chairman of the 
Committee during the 113th Congress. Chairman Rockefeller began his 
tenure on January 21, 2009.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Committee and its subcommittees held a total of 99 
public hearings, including 11 nominations hearings and 6 
oversight hearings during the 113th Congress. The Committee 
also held 11 Executive Sessions and filed 39 committee reports.
    Action was completed on a broad range of oversight, 
legislative, and executive matters. A total of 53 bills and 6 
resolutions were reported or discharged by the Committee. 
Notably, 18 of the reported or discharged bills were enacted 
and 3 of the discharged resolutions were agreed to in the 
Senate.
    Members and staff made individual trips abroad and 
participated in conferences, further exercising the legislative 
oversight responsibilities of the Committee.

                              Jurisdiction

    Pursuant to Rule XXV(1)(f)(1) of the Standing Rules of the 
United States Senate, all proposed legislation, messages, 
petitions, memorials, and other matters relating to the 
following subjects are referred to the Senate Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation:
    
        1. Coast Guard.
        2. Coastal zone management.
        3. Communications.
        4. Highway Safety.
        5. Inland waterways, except construction.
        6. Interstate commerce.
        7. Marine and ocean navigation, safety, and 
        transportation, including navigational aspects of 
        deepwater ports.
        8. Marine fisheries.
        9. Merchant marine and navigation.
        10. Nonmilitary aeronautical and space sciences.
        11. Oceans, weather, and atmospheric activities.
        12. Panama Canal and interoceanic canals generally, 
        except as provided in subparagraph (c) of Rule XXV(1).
        13. Regulation of consumer products and services, 
        including testing related to toxic substances, other 
        than pesticides, and except for credit, financial 
        services, and housing.
        14. Regulation of interstate common carriers, including 
        railroads, buses, trucks, vessels, pipelines, and civil 
        aviation.
        15. Science, engineering, and technology research and 
        development and policy.
        16. Sports.
        17. Standards and measurement.
        18. Transportation.
        19. Transportation and commerce aspects of Outer 
        Continental Shelf lands.
    


                             A. Legislation

                       Bills Referred to Committee

Bills:
    Referred to Committee.........................................   234
    Original measures from Committee..............................     0
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................   234

    Reported/Discharged...........................................    53
    Reported/Discharged and Enacted............................... 18\1\
  \1\This figure reflects bills enacted as stand-alone measures. It does 
    not reflect bills that may have been enacted as part of other 
    legislation.
              *Reported/Discharged
              **Reported/Discharged and Enacted

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Number                                            Title as Introduced
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.R.667**                              To redesignate the Dryden Flight Research Center as the Neil A. Armstrong
                                        Flight Research Center and the Western Aeronautical Test Range as the
                                        Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range. (P.L. 113-75)
H.R.756                                To advance cybersecurity research, development, and technical standards,
                                        and for other purposes.
H.R.967                                To amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to authorize
                                        activities for support of networking and information technology
                                        research, and for other purposes.
H.R.1095                               To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to
                                        transfer unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to
                                        nonprofit organizations that provide places of rest and recuperation at
                                        airports for members of the Armed Forces and their families, and for
                                        other purposes.
H.R.1204**                             To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to
                                        establish an Aviation Security Advisory Committee, and for other
                                        purposes. (P.L. 113-238)
H.R.1344**                             To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to provide
                                        expedited air passenger screening to severely injured or disabled
                                        members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans,
                                        and for other purposes. (P.L. 113-27)
H.R.1580                               To affirm the policy of the United States regarding Internet governance.
H.R.1786                               To reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, and for
                                        other purposes.
H.R.1848**                             To ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration advances the safety of
                                        small airplanes, and the continued development of the general aviation
                                        industry, and for other purposes. (P.L. 113-53)
H.R.1900                               To provide for the timely consideration of all licenses, permits, and
                                        approvals required under Federal law with respect to the siting,
                                        construction, expansion, or operation of any natural gas pipeline
                                        projects.
H.R.1961                               To amend title 46, United States Code, to extend the exemption from the
                                        fire-retardant materials construction requirement for vessels operating
                                        within the Boundary Line.
H.R.2052*                              To direct the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the heads of
                                        other relevant Federal departments and agencies, to conduct an
                                        interagency review of and report to Congress on ways to increase the
                                        global competitiveness of the United States in attracting foreign direct
                                        investment.
H.R.2413                               To prioritize and redirect NOAA resources to a focused program of
                                        investment on near-term, affordable, and attainable advances in
                                        observational, computing, and modeling capabilities to deliver
                                        substantial improvement in weather forecasting and prediction of high
                                        impact weather events, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, and for other
                                        purposes.
H.R.2576**                             To amend title 49, United States Code, to modify requirements relating to
                                        the availability of pipeline safety regulatory documents, and for other
                                        purposes. (P.L. 113-30)
H.R.2719**                             To require the Transportation Security Administration to implement best
                                        practices and improve transparency with regard to technology acquisition
                                        programs, and for other purposes. (P.L. 113-245)
H.R.2754**                             To amend the Hobby Protection Act to make unlawful the provision of
                                        assistance or support in violation of that Act, and for other purposes.
                                        (P.L. 113-288)
H.R.2844                               To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to consolidate the reporting
                                        obligations of the Federal Communications Commission in order to improve
                                        congressional oversight and reduce reporting burdens.
H.R.3202                               To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare a comprehensive
                                        security assessment of the transportation security card program, and for
                                        other purposes.
H.R.3628                               To eliminate certain unnecessary reporting requirements and consolidate
                                        or modify others, and for other purposes.
H.R.3675                               To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for greater
                                        transparency and efficiency in the procedures followed by the Federal
                                        Communications Commission.
H.R.4005                               To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal years 2015 and
                                        2016, and for other purposes.
H.R.4156                               To amend title 49, United States Code, to allow advertisements and
                                        solicitations for passenger air transportation to state the base airfare
                                        of the transportation, and for other purposes.
H.R.4412*                              To authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space
                                        Administration, and for other purposes.
H.R.4572                               To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to extend expiring provisions
                                        relating to the retransmission of signals of television broadcast
                                        stations, and for other purposes.
H.R.4803                               To require the Transportation Security Administration to conform to
                                        existing Federal law and regulations regarding criminal investigator
                                        positions, and for other purposes.
H.R.4812**                             To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of
                                        the Transportation Security Administration to establish a process for
                                        providing expedited and dignified passenger screening services for
                                        veterans traveling to visit war memorials built and dedicated to honor
                                        their service, and for other purposes. (P.L. 113-516)
H.R.4838**                             To redesignate the railroad station located at 2955 Market Street in
                                        Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commonly known as ``30th Street Station'',
                                        as the ``William H. Gray III 30th Street Station''. (P.L. 113-158)
H.R.5035                               To reauthorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and
                                        for other purposes.
H.R.5056                               To improve the efficiency of Federal research and development, and for
                                        other purposes.
H.R.5161                               To promote the non-exclusive use of electronic labeling for devices
                                        licensed by the Federal Communications Commission.
H.R.5309                               To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning,
                                        research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
                                        Administration, and for other purposes.
H.R.5462**                             To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for limitations on the
                                        fees charged to passengers of air carriers. (P.L. 113-294)
H.R.5769                               To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2015, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.4                                    To create jobs and strengthen our economy by rebuilding our Nation's
                                        infrastructure.
S.7                                    To improve the resilience of the United States to extreme weather events
                                        and to prevent the worsening of extreme weather conditions.
S.63                                   To require the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Labor to
                                        establish the Made In America Incentive Grant Program, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.106                                  To provide for the establishment, on-going validation, and use of an
                                        official set of data on the historical temperature record, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.134*                                 To arrange for the National Academy of Sciences to study the impact of
                                        violent video games and violent video programming on children.
S.208                                  To require the Federal Aviation Administration to prescribe regulations
                                        to reduce helicopter noise pollution in residential areas in Los Angeles
                                        County, California.
S.221                                  To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to
                                        permit eligible fishermen to approve certain limited access privilege
                                        programs, and for other purposes.
S.245                                  To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to authorize a bipartisan
                                        majority of Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission to
                                        hold nonpublic collaborative discussions, and for other purposes.
S.246                                  To prevent the escapement of genetically altered salmon in the United
                                        States, and for other purposes.
S.267*                                 To prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated
                                        fishing through port State measures.
S.269*                                 To establish uniform administrative and enforcement authorities for the
                                        enforcement of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act
                                        and similar statutes, and for other purposes.
S.272                                  To promote research, monitoring, and observation of the Arctic and for
                                        other purposes.
S.288                                  To increase the participation of historically underrepresented
                                        demographic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
                                        education and industry.
S.376*                                 To reauthorize the National Integrated Drought Information System, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.387                                  To establish the American Infrastructure Investment Fund and other
                                        activities to facilitate investments in infrastructure projects that
                                        significantly enhance the economic competitiveness of the United States
                                        by improving economic output, productivity, or competitive commercial
                                        advantage, and for other purposes.
S.418                                  To require the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe regulations
                                        regarding the collection and use of personal information obtained by
                                        tracking the online activity of an individual, and for other purposes.
S.429*                                 To enable concrete masonry products manufacturers to establish, finance,
                                        and carry out a coordinated program of research, education, and
                                        promotion to improve, maintain, and develop markets for concrete masonry
                                        products.
S.481                                  To require the Federal Communications Commission to direct that wireless
                                        providers permit the unlocking of mobile devices.
S.485                                  To exempt certain class A CDL drivers from the requirement to obtain a
                                        hazardous material endorsement while operating a service vehicle with a
                                        fuel tank containing 3,785 liters (1,000 gallons) or less of diesel
                                        fuel.
S.520                                  To strengthen Federal consumer protection and product traceability with
                                        respect to commercially marketed seafood, and for other purposes.
S.540**                                To designate the air route traffic control center located in Nashua, New
                                        Hampshire, as the ``Patricia Clark Boston Air Route Traffic Control
                                        Center''. (P.L. 113-83)
S.542                                  To provide limitations on maritime liens on fishing licenses and for
                                        other purposes.
S.544                                  To require the President to develop a comprehensive national
                                        manufacturing strategy, and for other purposes.
S.556                                  To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve the accessibility of
                                        entertainment programming provided by air carriers on passenger flights,
                                        and for other purposes.
S.646                                  To create the National Endowment for the Oceans to promote the protection
                                        and conservation of United States ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes
                                        ecosystems, and for other purposes.
S.687                                  To prohibit the closing of air traffic control towers, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.697                                  To reform and improve the oversight of the performance of passenger and
                                        baggage security screening at domestic commercial airports by private
                                        screening companies, and for other purposes.
S.713                                  To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to
                                        add Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
S.721                                  To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require a provider of a
                                        commercial mobile service or an IP-enabled voice service to provide call
                                        location information concerning the user of such a service to law
                                        enforcement agencies in order to respond to a call for emergency
                                        services or in an emergency situation that involves risk of death or
                                        serious physical harm.
S.747                                  To grant exclusive fishery management authority over the red snapper fish
                                        in the Gulf of Mexico to certain States.
S.763                                  To authorize States to enforce pipeline safety requirements related to
                                        wellbores at interstate storage facilities.
S.774                                  To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a
                                        report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Federal Communications
                                        Commission's universal service reforms.
S.794                                  To prevent an increase in flight delays and cancellations, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.818                                  To provide the Secretary of Transportation with the flexibility to
                                        transfer certain funds to prevent furloughs by the Federal Aviation
                                        Administration, and for other purposes.
S.839*                                 To reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.847                                  To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the
                                        importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before
                                        the date on which the polar bear was determined to be a threatened
                                        species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
S.874                                  To prohibit universal service support of commercial mobile service
                                        through the Lifeline program.
S.899                                  To establish a position of Science Laureate of the United States.
S.904                                  To minimize the economic and social costs resulting from losses of life,
                                        property, well-being, business activity, and economic growth associated
                                        with extreme weather events by ensuring that the United States is more
                                        resilient to the impacts of extreme weather events in the short- and
                                        long-term, and for other purposes.
S.912                                  To allow multichannel video programming distributors to provide video
                                        programming to subscribers on an a la carte basis, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.921*                                 To amend chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the
                                        rental of motor vehicles that contain a defect related to motor vehicle
                                        safety, and for other purposes.
S.973                                  To improve the integrity and safety of interstate horseracing, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.981                                  To direct the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe rules prohibiting
                                        deceptive advertising of abortion services, and for other purposes.
S.1008                                 To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from implementing proposed
                                        policy changes that would permit passengers to carry small, non-locking
                                        knives on aircraft.
S.1014*                                To reduce sports-related concussions in youth, and for other purposes.
S.1022                                 To amend title 46, United States Code, to extend the exemption from the
                                        fire-retardant materials construction requirement for vessels operating
                                        within the Boundary Line.
S.1023                                 To direct the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the heads of
                                        other relevant Federal departments and agencies, to conduct an
                                        interagency review of and report on ways to increase the competitiveness
                                        of the United States in attracting foreign investment.
S.1050                                 To amend title 10, United States Code, to ensure the issuance of
                                        regulations applicable to the Coast Guard regarding consideration of a
                                        request for a permanent change of station or unit transfer submitted by
                                        a member of the Coast Guard who is the victim of a sexual assault.
S.1068*                                To reauthorize and amend the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
                                        Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1072*                                To ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration advances the safety of
                                        small airplanes and the continued development of the general aviation
                                        industry, and for other purposes.
S.1079                                 To require the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental
                                        Enforcement to promote the artificial reefs, and for other purposes.
S.1144                                 To prohibit unauthorized third-party charges on wireline telephone bills,
                                        and for other purposes.
S.1161                                 To provide for the development of a fishery management plan for the Gulf
                                        of Mexico red snapper, and for other purposes.
S.1162                                 To authorize the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
                                        Administration to provide certain funds to eligible entities for
                                        activities undertaken to address the marine debris impacts of the March
                                        2011 Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and for other purposes.
S.1193                                 To require certain entities that collect and maintain personal
                                        information of individuals to secure such information and to provide
                                        notice to such individuals in the case of a breach of security involving
                                        such information, and for other purposes.
S.1254**                               To amend the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of
                                        1998, and for other purposes. (P.L. 113-124)
S.1275*                                To direct the Secretary of Commerce to issue a fishing capacity reduction
                                        loan to refinance the existing loan funding the Pacific Coast groundfish
                                        fishing capacity reduction program.
S.1317*                                To authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space
                                        Administration for fiscal years 2014 through 2016 and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1340                                 To improve passenger vessel security and safety, and for other purposes.
S.1344*                                To promote research, monitoring, and observation of the Arctic and for
                                        other purposes.
S.1353**                               To provide for an ongoing, voluntary public-private partnership to
                                        improve cybersecurity, and to strengthen cybersecurity research and
                                        development, workforce development and education, and public awareness
                                        and preparedness, and for other purposes. (P.L. 113-274)
S.1355                                 To provide regulatory parity among alternative fuel vehicles, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.1358                                 To establish an advisory office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection
                                        of the Federal Trade Commission to prevent fraud targeting seniors, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.1359                                 To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish national
                                        standards for discharges from cruise vessels.
S.1367                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to provide
                                        expedited air passenger screening to severely injured or disabled
                                        members of the Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans,
                                        and for other purposes.
S.1379                                 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to consolidate the reporting
                                        obligations of the Federal Communications Commission in order to improve
                                        congressional oversight and reduce reporting burdens.
S.1380                                 To direct the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that on-duty time
                                        does not include waiting time at a natural gas or oil well site for
                                        certain commercial motor vehicle operators, and for other purposes.
S.1403                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to
                                        facilitate the screening of severely injured or disabled members of the
                                        Armed Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans at airports, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.1406*                                To amend the Horse Protection Act to designate additional unlawful acts
                                        under the Act, strengthen penalties for violations of the Act, improve
                                        Department of Agriculture enforcement of the Act, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1435                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide certain port
                                        authorities, and for other purposes.
S.1459                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the transportation of
                                        horses in interstate transportation in a motor vehicle containing 2 or
                                        more levels stacked on top of one another.
S.1462                                 To extend the positive train control system implementation deadline, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.1468*                                To require the Secretary of Commerce to establish the Network for
                                        Manufacturing Innovation and for other purposes.
S.1483                                 To amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to establish the Federal Oil Spill
                                        Research Committee, and to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
                                        to include in a response plan certain planned and demonstrated
                                        investments in research relating to discharges of oil and to modify the
                                        dates by which a response plan must be updated.
S.1495                                 To direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to
                                        issue an order with respect to secondary cockpit barriers, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1537                                 To ensure that any new or revised requirement providing for the
                                        screening, testing, or treatment of individuals operating commercial
                                        motor vehicles for sleep disorders is adopted through a rulemaking
                                        proceeding, and for other purposes.
S.1553                                 To amend title 23, United States Code, to reauthorize the State
                                        infrastructure bank program.
S.1565                                 To require the Secretary of Labor to maintain a publicly available list
                                        of all employers that relocate a call center overseas, to make such
                                        companies ineligible for Federal grants or guaranteed loans, and to
                                        require disclosure of the physical location of business agents engaging
                                        in customer service communications, and for other purposes.
S.1608                                 To authorize appropriations for the SelectUSA Initiative, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1609                                 To amend title 14, United States Code, to authorize the Commandant of the
                                        United States Coast Guard to lease tidelands and submerged lands under
                                        control of the Coast Guard for periods longer than five years.
S.1615                                 To develop and recruit new, high-value jobs to the United States, to
                                        encourage the repatriation of jobs that have been off-shored to other
                                        countries, and for other purposes.
S.1625                                 To amend section 31306 of title 49, United States Code, to recognize hair
                                        as an alternative specimen for preemployment and random controlled
                                        substances testing of commercial motor vehicle drivers and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1636                                 To redesignate certain facilities of the National Aeronautics and Space
                                        Administration.
S.1639                                 To amend the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to provide guidance
                                        and limitations regarding the integration of unmanned aircraft systems
                                        into United States airspace, and for other purposes.
S.1680                                 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to increase consumer choice and
                                        competition in the online video programming distribution marketplace,
                                        and for other purposes.
S.1692                                 To require the Secretary of Transportation to modify the final rule
                                        relating to flightcrew member duty and rest requirements for passenger
                                        operations of air carriers to apply to all-cargo operations of air
                                        carriers, and for other purposes.
S.1700                                 To amend the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 to extend,
                                        enhance, and revise the provisions relating to collection, use, and
                                        disclosure of personal information of children, to establish certain
                                        other protections for personal information of children and minors, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.1708                                 To amend title 23, United States Code, with respect to the establishment
                                        of performance measures for the highway safety improvement program, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.1709                                 To require the Committee on Technology of the National Science and
                                        Technology Council to develop and update a national manufacturing
                                        competitiveness strategic plan, and for other purposes.
S.1710                                 To require Amtrak to propose a pet policy that allows passengers to
                                        transport domesticated cats and dogs on certain Amtrak trains, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.1716                                 To facilitate efficient investments and financing of infrastructure
                                        projects and new long-term job creation through the establishment of an
                                        Infrastructure Financing Authority, and for other purposes.
S.1753                                 To extend Government liability, subject to appropriation, for certain
                                        third-party claims arising from commercial space launches.
S.1757                                 To provide for an equitable management of summer flounder based on
                                        geographic, scientific, and economic data and for other purposes.
S.1760                                 To amend the statutory authorities of the Coast Guard to improve the
                                        quality of life for current and former Coast Guard personnel and their
                                        families, and for other purposes.
S.1766                                 To provide for the equitable distribution of Universal Service funds to
                                        rural States.
S.1767                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to require gas pipeline facilities
                                        to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of high-risk
                                        pipelines used in commerce, and for other purposes.
S.1768                                 To establish State revolving loan funds to repair or replace natural gas
                                        distribution pipelines.
S.1776                                 To encourage spectrum licensees to make unused spectrum available for use
                                        by rural and smaller carriers in order to expand wireless coverage.
S.1789                                 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to establish signal quality and
                                        content requirements for the carriage of public, educational, and
                                        governmental channels, to preserve support of such channels, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.1793*                                To encourage States to require the installation of residential carbon
                                        monoxide detectors in homes, and for other purposes.
S.1804*                                To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to
                                        establish an Aviation Security Advisory Committee, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1811                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to prohibit voice communications
                                        through mobile communication devices on commercial passenger flights.
S.1830                                 To prohibit unfair or deceptive acts or practices relating to the prices
                                        of products and services sold online, and for other purposes.
S.1831                                 To establish a national Yellow Dot Program to alert law enforcement and
                                        emergency services personnel to the medical conditions, prescriptions,
                                        and other vital information necessary to treat drivers and passengers in
                                        motor vehicles in emergency circumstances.
S.1858                                 To require the Federal Communications Commission to suspend and revise
                                        portions of the Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed
                                        Rulemaking that revised Universal Service Fund distribution to rural
                                        carriers, to encourage renewed investment by rural rate-of-return
                                        carriers in deployment of broadband infrastructure in rural areas, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.1887                                 To clarify terms of cooperation between the Consumer Product Safety
                                        Commission and foreign government agencies in order to improve safety of
                                        imported products, and for other purposes.
S.1891                                 To require a study and report by the Comptroller General regarding the
                                        restart provision of the Hours of Service Rules for Commercial Truck
                                        Drivers, and for other purposes.
S.1893*                                To require the Transportation Security Administration to implement best
                                        practices and improve transparency with regard to technology acquisition
                                        programs, and for other purposes.
S.1925*                                To limit the retrieval of data from vehicle event data recorders.
S.1941                                 To establish requirements for the adoption of any new or revised
                                        requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment of an
                                        airman or an air traffic controller for a sleep disorder, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.1955                                 To protect the right of law-abiding citizens to transport knives
                                        interstate, notwithstanding a patchwork of local and State prohibitions.
S.1964                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to exempt certain flights from
                                        increased aviation security service fees.
S.1976                                 To protect consumers by requiring reasonable security policies and
                                        procedures to protect data containing personal information, and to
                                        provide for nationwide notice in the event of a breach of security.
S.1981                                 To provide that the rules of the Federal Communications Commission
                                        relating to preserving the open Internet and broadband industry
                                        practices shall be restored to effect until the date when the Commission
                                        takes final action in the proceedings on such rules that were remanded
                                        to the Commission by the United States Court of Appeals for the District
                                        of Columbia Circuit.
S.1989                                 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for greater
                                        transparency and efficiency in the procedures followed by the Federal
                                        Communications Commission, and for other purposes.
S.2022*                                To establish scientific standards and protocols across forensic
                                        disciplines, and for other purposes.
S.2025                                 To require data brokers to establish procedures to ensure the accuracy of
                                        collected personal information, and for other purposes.
S.2028*                                To amend the law relating to sport fish restoration and recreational
                                        boating safety, and for other purposes.
S.2030*                                To reauthorize and amend the National Sea Grant College Program Act, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.2032                                 To require mobile service providers and mobile device manufacturers to
                                        give consumers the ability to remotely delete data from mobile devices
                                        and render such devices inoperable.
S.2047                                 To prohibit the marketing of electronic cigarettes to children, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2049                                 To curb unfair and deceptive practices during assertion of patents, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.2065                                 To create incentives for the development of alternative fuel vehicles.
S.2068                                 To provide for the development and use of technology for personalized
                                        handguns, to require that, within 3 years, all handguns manufactured or
                                        sold in, or imported into, the United States incorporate such
                                        technology, and for other purposes.
S.2076*                                To amend the provisions of title 46, United States Code, related to the
                                        Board of Visitors to the United States Merchant Marine Academy, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2078                                 To prohibit Federal funding for motorcycle checkpoints, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2085                                 To address shortages and interruptions in the availability of propane and
                                        other home heating fuels in the United States, and for other purposes.
S.2086**                               To address current emergency shortages of propane and other home heating
                                        fuels and to provide greater flexibility and information for Governors
                                        to address such emergencies in the future. (P.L. 113-125)
S.2094*                                To provide for the establishment of nationally uniform and
                                        environmentally sound standards governing discharges incidental to the
                                        normal operation of a vessel.
S.2103                                 To direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to
                                        issue or revise regulations with respect to the medical certification of
                                        certain small aircraft pilots, and for other purposes.
S.2120                                 To expand the prohibition on the manufacture, distribution, and
                                        importation of children's products that contain phthalates, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2125                                 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of voice
                                        communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination
                                        among areas of the United States in the delivery of such communications.
S.2130                                 To direct the Secretary of Transportation to temporarily waive certain
                                        vehicle weight limits for covered logging vehicles, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2131                                 To amend the statutory authorities of the Coast Guard to strengthen Coast
                                        Guard prevention and response capabilities in the Arctic, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2140*                                To improve the transition between experimental permits and commercial
                                        licenses for commercial reusable launch vehicles.
S.2151                                 To enhance the early warning reporting requirements for motor vehicle
                                        manufacturers.
S.2155                                 To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
                                        Organization Act to create a Federal Spectrum Reallocation Commission,
                                        to provide for the use of a portion of the proceeds from the auction of
                                        reallocated Federal spectrum for deficit reduction, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2181                                 To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning,
                                        research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
                                        Administration, and for other purposes.
S.2193                                 To amend the Horse Protection Act to provide increased protection for
                                        horses participating in shows, exhibitions, or sales, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2206                                 To to streamline the collection and distribution of government
                                        information.
S.2219                                 To require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
                                        to update a report on the role of telecommunications, including the
                                        Internet, in the commission of hate crimes.
S.2250*                                To extend the Travel Promotion Act of 2009, and for other purposes.
S.2284                                 To require the Secretary of Transportation to establish new standards for
                                        automobile hoods and bumpers to reduce pedestrian injuries, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2290                                 To increase the maximum penalty for unfair and deceptive practices
                                        relating to advertising of the costs of air transportation.
S.2338**                               To reauthorize the United States Anti-Doping Agency, and for other
                                        purposes. (P.L. 113-280)
S.2365                                 To prohibit the long-term storage of rail cars on certain railroad tracks
                                        unless the Surface Transportation Board has approved the rail carrier's
                                        rail car storage plan.
S.2375                                 To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to facilitate paid television
                                        service in certain counties, and for other purposes.
S.2378                                 To establish a regulatory framework for the comprehensive protection of
                                        personal data for individuals under the aegis of the Federal Trade
                                        Commission, to amend the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of
                                        1998 to improve provisions relating to collection, use, and disclosure
                                        of personal information of children, and for other purposes.
S.2380                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve the national freight
                                        policy of the United States, and for other purposes.
S.2398                                 To amend a provision of title 49, United States Code, relating to motor
                                        vehicle safety civil penalties.
S.2416                                 To apply laws that restrict the political speech of American citizens to
                                        media corporations.
S.2444**                               To authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal years 2015
                                        through 2016, and for other purposes. (P.L. 113-281)
S.2473                                 To reallocate Federal Government-held spectrum for commercial use, to
                                        promote wireless innovation and enhance wireless communications, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2476                                 To direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations
                                        that prohibit certain preferential treatment or prioritization of
                                        Internet traffic.
S.2478                                 To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to partner with industry to
                                        strengthen the safety culture and safety practices of short line and
                                        regional freight railroads.
S.2482*                                To implement the Convention on the Conservation and Management of the
                                        High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, as adopted at
                                        Tokyo on February 24, 2012, and for other purposes.
S.2484*                                To implement the Convention on the Conservation and Management of the
                                        High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean, as adopted at
                                        Auckland on November 14, 2009, and for other purposes.
S.2485*                                To implement the Amendment to the Convention on Future Multilateral
                                        Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, as adopted at Lisbon on
                                        September 28, 2007.
S.2500                                 To restrict the ability of the Federal Government to undermine privacy
                                        and encryption technology in commercial products and in NIST computer
                                        security and encryption standards.
S.2505                                 To promote unlicensed spectrum use in the 5 GHz band, to maximize the use
                                        of the band for shared purposes in order to bolster innovation and
                                        economic development, and for other purposes.
S.2556                                 To require the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to conduct an
                                        assessment of cultural and historic resources in the waters of the Great
                                        Lakes, and for other purposes.
S.2559                                 To provide greater transparency, accountability, and safety authority to
                                        the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2563                                 To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve highway safety and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2581*                                To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a rule to
                                        require child safety packaging for liquid nicotine containers, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2583**                               To promote the non-exclusive use of electronic labeling for devices
                                        licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. (P.L. 113-197)
S.2594                                 To redesignate the railroad station located at 2955 Market Street in
                                        Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commonly known as ``30th Street Station'',
                                        as the ``William H. Gray 30th Street Station''.
S.2643                                 To require a report by the Federal Communications Commission on
                                        designated market areas.
S.2659                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to
                                        establish a process for providing expedited and dignified passenger
                                        screening services for veterans traveling to visit war memorials built
                                        and dedicated to honor their services, and for other purposes.
S.2671                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Assistant Secretary
                                        of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to
                                        establish a process for providing expedited and dignified passenger
                                        screening services for veterans traveling to visit war memorials built
                                        and dedicated to honor their service, and for other purposes.
S.2705                                 To establish, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
                                        an integrated and comprehensive ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and
                                        atmospheric research and environmental information sharing program to
                                        support renewable energy, and for other purposes.
S.2737                                 To ensure that transportation and infrastructure projects carried out
                                        using Federal financial assistance are constructed with steel, iron, and
                                        manufactured goods that are produced in the United States, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2750                                 To encourage investments in airports through public-private partnerships,
                                        and for other purposes.
S.2756                                 To promote competition and help consumers save money by giving them the
                                        freedom to choose where they buy prescription pet medications, and for
                                        other purposes.
S.2757                                 To invest in innovation through research and development, to improve the
                                        competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes.
S.2759**                               To release the City of St. Clair, Missouri, from all restrictions,
                                        conditions, and limitations on the use, encumbrance, conveyance, and
                                        closure of the St. Clair Regional Airport. (P.L. 113-285)
S.2760                                 To extend National Highway Traffic Safety Administration authorizations,
                                        and for other purposes.
S.2774                                 To require all recreational vessels to have and to post passenger
                                        capacity limits and for other purposes.
S.2777*                                To establish the Surface Transportation Board as an independent
                                        establishment, and for other purposes.
S.2784                                 To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out activities to
                                        improve rail safety, and for other purposes.
S.2787                                 To expand and clarify the prohibition on inaccurate caller ID
                                        information.
S.2798                                 To require the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
                                        Administration to create an electronic database of research and
                                        information on the causes of, and corrective actions being taken with
                                        regard to, algal blooms in the Great Lakes, their tributaries, and other
                                        surface fresh waters, and for other purposes.
S.2799*                                To extend the authority of satellite carriers to retransmit certain
                                        television broadcast station signals, and for other purposes.
S.2811                                 To prohibit the distribution in commerce of children's products and
                                        upholstered furniture containing certain flame retardants, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.2817                                 To assign the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis of the
                                        Federal Communications Commission the responsibility of bringing
                                        institutional focus to the important function of approving new
                                        technologies and improving regulatory certainty at the Commission.
S.2819                                 To amend chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, to prohibit the
                                        rental of motor vehicles that contain a defect related to motor vehicle
                                        safety, and for other purposes.
S.2824                                 To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to
                                        promote sustainable conservation and management for the Gulf of Mexico
                                        and South Atlantic fisheries and the communities that rely on them, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.2836                                 To provide for an integrated plan for the space launch activities of the
                                        Federal Government.
S.2848                                 To amend title 49, United States Code, with respect to apportionments
                                        under the Airport Improvement Program, and for other purposes.
S.2858                                 To enhance rail safety and provide for the safe transport of hazardous
                                        materials, and for other purposes.
S.2879                                 To provide for the implementation of a Sustainable Chemistry Program, and
                                        for other purposes.
S.2890                                 To authorize the Secretary of Commerce, through the National Oceanic and
                                        Atmospheric Administration, to establish a constituent-driven program
                                        that develops an information platform capable of efficiently integrating
                                        coastal data with decision-support tools, training, and best practices,
                                        and coordinates the collection of priority coastal geospatial data to
                                        inform and improve local, State, regional, and Federal capacities to
                                        manage the coastal region, and for other purposes.
S.2924                                 To amend title 46, United States Code, to exempt old vessels that only
                                        operate within inland waterways from the fire-retardant materials
                                        requirement if the owners of such vessels make annual structural
                                        alterations to at least 10 percent of the areas of the vessels that are
                                        not constructed of fire-retardant materials.
S.2949                                 To improve motor vehicle safety by encouraging the sharing of certain
                                        information.
S.2956                                 To prevent caller ID spoofing, and for other purposes.
S.2957                                 To limit the disturbance to American families caused by electioneering
                                        phone calls by expanding the National Do Not Call Registry to include
                                        Super PACs and other third-party political groups, to prohibit robocalls
                                        to Americans who have listed their telephone numbers on the Registry,
                                        and to prohibit push-polling.
S.2972                                 To require all equestrian helmets manufactured or sold in the United
                                        States meet a minimum safety standard, and for other purposes.
S.2981                                 To prohibit Federal agencies from mandating the deployment of
                                        vulnerabilities in data security technologies.
S.2983*                                To allow for a contract for operation of Melville Hall of United States
                                        Merchant Marine Academy after gift by United States Merchant Marine
                                        Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, Inc., for renovation of such
                                        hall and for other purposes.
S.2991                                 To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to
                                        promote sustainable conservation and management for the Nation's
                                        fisheries and the communities that rely on them, and for other purposes.
S.3010                                 To improve the enforcement of prohibitions on robocalls, including
                                        fraudulent robocalls.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    Resolutions Referred to Committee

Resolutions:
    Referred to Committee.........................................     7
    Original measures from Committee..............................     2
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     9

    Reported/Discharged...........................................     6
    Reported/Discharged and agreed to in the Senate...............     3
              *Reported/Discharged
              **Reported/Discharged and agreed to in the Senate

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Number                                            Title as Introduced
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S.Res.37**                             A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate in disapproving the
                                        proposal of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board to
                                        eliminate wrestling from the Summer Olympic Games beginning in 2020.
S.Res.51*                              An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the Committee on
                                        Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
S.Res.157*                             A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that telephone service
                                        must be improved in rural areas of the United States and that no entity
                                        may unreasonably discriminate against telephone users in those areas.
S.Res.244*                             An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the Committee on
                                        Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
S.Res.289**                            A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that ambush marketing
                                        adversely affects the United States Olympic and Paralympic teams and
                                        should be discouraged.
S.Res.311                              A resolution calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to
                                        strongly oppose Russia's discriminatory law against the freedom of
                                        expression for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons
                                        and to obtain written assurance that host countries of the Olympic Games
                                        will uphold all international human rights and civil rights obligations
                                        for all persons observing or participating in the Games regardless of
                                        race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and for other
                                        purposes.
S.Res.346                              A resolution congratulating the athletes from the State of Washington and
                                        across the United States who are set to participate in the 2014 Winter
                                        Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
S.Res.387**                            A resolution celebrating the 2014 Arctic Winter Games, in Fairbanks,
                                        Alaska.
S.Res.582                              A resolution expressing support for designation of the third Tuesday of
                                        November as ``National Entrepreneurs Day''.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                             B. Nominations

    There were 854 presidential nominations, including 
promotions, referred to the Committee during the 113th 
Congress.
    
    Referred......................................................   854
    Confirmed.....................................................   831
    Renominations (returned to the President upon recess of 
      Congress, subsequently renominated).........................    11
    Returned to the President upon adjournment of Congress........    22
    Withdrawn by the President....................................     1
              *Number includes renomination, counted as two 
  nominations
              **Number includes withdrawal, counted as two 
  nominations


Executive Office of the President
    Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
      Policy......................................................    4*
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     4


Department of Commerce
    Secretary of Commerce.........................................     1
    Deputy Secretary of Commerce..................................     1
    Assistant Secretary of Commerce...............................    4*
    Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.....     1
    Under Secretary for Standards and Technology..................     1
    Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere.....................    2*
    General Counsel...............................................    2*
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................    12


Department of Transportation
    Secretary of Transportation...................................     1
    Deputy Secretary of Transportation............................     1
    Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy..................     1
    Assistant Secretary of Transportation.........................     1
    Administrator of the Maritime Administration..................    2*
    Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety 
      Administration..............................................     1
    Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology 
      Administration..............................................     1
    General Counsel:..............................................    2*
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................    10


Coast Guard
    Admiral.......................................................     1
    Vice Admiral..................................................     5
    Rear Admiral, upper half......................................    10
    Rear Admiral, lower half......................................    14
    Captain.......................................................   170
    Commander.....................................................   315
    Lieutenant Commander..........................................   247
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................   762


Coast Guard Reserve
    Rear Admiral..................................................     4
    Captain.......................................................    28
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................    32


National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Deputy Administrator..........................................     1
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     1


Consumer Product Safety Commission
    Chairman......................................................     1
    Commissioner..................................................    6*
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     7


Federal Communications Commission
    Member........................................................   4**
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................   4**


Federal Maritime Commission
    Commissioner..................................................     2
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     2


Federal Trade Commission
    Commissioner..................................................    2*
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................    2*


National Transportation Safety Board
    Chairman......................................................     2
    Member........................................................     3
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     5


Surface Transportation Board
    Member........................................................    3*
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     3


Amtrak Board of Directors
    Director......................................................     1
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     1


Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board of Directors
    Member........................................................    9*
                        =================================================================
                        ________________________________________________
    Total.........................................................     9


                1. Executive Office and Federal Agencies

    The Committee was referred nominations for the Executive 
Office of the President, Department of Commerce, and Department 
of Transportation. The Executive Office of the President 
received four nominations for the position of Associate 
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, 
including two renominations. The Department of Commerce 
received 12 nominations, including 3 renominations. The 
Department of Transportation received nine nominations, 
including two renominations.

                 2. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve

    There were a total of 762 nominations, including 
promotions, referred to the Committee for appointments to Coast 
Guard positions and 32 for appointments to Coast Guard Reserve 
positions. These nominations included 247 nominations to Coast 
Guard Lieutenant Commander and 315 nominations to Commander. 
Other positions included Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral, 
and Captain.

            3. Commissions, Independent Agencies, and Boards

    Nominations for membership on boards, independence 
agencies, and commissions were received as follows: National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (1); Consumer Product 
Safety Commission (7); Federal Communications Commission (4); 
Federal Maritime Commission (2); Federal Trade Commission (2); 
National Transportation Safety Board (5); Surface 
Transportation Board (3); Amtrak Board of Directors (1); and 
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board of Directors (9).


                              4. Hearings

    The Committee held 11 nominations hearings during the 113th 
Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 4, 2012*                            Nomination of Dr. Mark Doms to be Under Secretary of Commerce for
                                              Economic Affairs, Department of Commerce; Polly Ellen Trottenberg
                                              to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Department of
                                              Transportation; Mignon L. Clyburn to be a Commissioner, Federal
                                              Communications Commission (Reappointment); Dr. Joshua D. Wright to
                                              be a Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
May 22, 2013*                                Nomination of Mayor Anthony Foxx to be Secretary of the Department
                                              of Transportation (S.Hrg.113-119)
May 23, 2013*                                Nomination of Penny Pritzker to be Secretary of Commerce
June 18, 2013*                               Nomination of Thomas Wheeler to be Chairman, Federal Communications
                                              Commission
July 24, 2013*                               Nomination of Dr. Mark E. Schaefer to be Assistant Secretary for
                                              Oceans and Atmosphere for the Department of Commerce (S.Hrg.113-
                                              172)
September 18, 2013*                          Nomination of Michael O'Rielly to be a Commissioner, Federal
                                              Communications Commission; Terrell McSweeny to be a Commissioner,
                                              Federal Trade Commission
September 19, 2013*                          Nomination of Dr. Jo Handelsman to be Assistant Director for
                                              Science, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office
                                              of the President; Dr. Robert Simon to be Associate Director for
                                              Environment and Energy, Office of Science and Technology Policy,
                                              Executive Office of the President; Dr. Kathryn Sullivan to be
                                              Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department of Commerce
                                              and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
                                              Administration (S.Hrg.113-410)
November 21, 2013*                           Nomination of Paul Jaenichen Sr. to be Administrator of the
                                              Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation; Debra
                                              Miller to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board; Arun
                                              Kumar to be Assistant Secretary for Global Markets and Director
                                              General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service International
                                              Trade Administration, Department of Commerce (S.Hrg.113-401)
April 8, 2014*                               Nomination of Vice Admiral Paul F. Zukunft to be Commandant of the
                                              United States Coast Guard; Elliot F. Kaye to be Chairman and a
                                              Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission; Joseph
                                              Mohorovic to be Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety
                                              Commission
June 11, 2014*                               Nomination of Victor M. Mendez to be Deputy Secretary, Department
                                              of Transportation; Bruce H. Andrews to be Deputy Secretary,
                                              Department of Commerce; Peter M. Rogoff to be Under Secretary of
                                              Transportation for Policy, Department of Transportation; Marcus D.
                                              Jadotte to be Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis,
                                              International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce; Robert
                                              S. Adler to be a Commissioner, Consumer Product Safety Commission
                                              (Reappointment)
December 3, 2014*                            Nomination of Dr. Mark Rosekind to be Administrator of the National
                                              Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of
                                              Transportation; Mr. Carlos Monje Jr. to be Assistant Secretary for
                                              Transportation Policy, Department of Transportation; Dr. Tho Bella
                                              Dinh-Zarr to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety
                                              Board
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           C. Full Committee


                           Executive Sessions 

    The Committee held 11 Executive Sessions during the 113th 
Congress. Dates and agendas are below.
    
    February 13, 2013 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         Rules for the Committee
         Ratify subcommittee assignments
         S.Res. 51, An original resolution authorizing 
        expenditures by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation
    
    
    June 10, 2013 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         Nomination of Hon. Anthony R. Foxx, to be 
        Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of 
        Transportation
         Nomination of Ms. Penny Pritzker, to be 
        Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce
         Nominations for Promotion in the Coast Guard
    
    
    July 30, 2013 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         S. 134, Violent Content Research Act of 2013 
        (Senate Report 113-126)
         S.Res. 157, A resolution expressing the sense 
        of the Senate that telephone service must be improved 
        in rural areas of the United States and that no entity 
        may unreasonably discriminate against telephone users 
        in those areas (Senate Report 113-130)
         S. 267, Pirate Fishing Elimination Act (Senate 
        Report 113-132)
         S. 269, International Fisheries Stewardship 
        and Enforcement Act (Senate Report 113-127)
         S. 376, Drought Information Act of 2013 
        (Senate Report 113-114)
         S. 839, Coral Reef Conservation Amendments Act 
        of 2013 (Senate Report 113-156)
         S. 921, Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe 
        Rental Car Act of 2013 (Senate Report 113-253)
         S. 1068, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration Commissioned Office Corps Amendments Act 
        of 2013 (Senate Report 113-133)
         S. 1072, Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 
        2013 (Senate Report 113-108)
         S. 1254, Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia 
        Research and Control Amendments Act of 2013 (Senate 
        Report 113-121)
         S. 1317, National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration Authorization Act of 2013
         S. 1344, Arctic Research, Monitoring, and 
        Observing Act of 2013 (Senate Report 113-117)
         S. 1353, Cybersecurity Act of 2013 (Senate 
        Report 113-270)
         Nomination of Dr. Jannette Dates, to be a 
        Member of the Board of Directors, Corporation for 
        Public Broadcasting
         Nomination of Mr. Bruce M. Ramer, to be a 
        Member of the Board of Directors, Corporation for 
        Public Broadcasting (Reappointment)
         Nomination of Dr. Brent Nelsen, to be a Member 
        of the Board of Directors, Corporation for Public 
        Broadcasting
         Nomination of Mr. Thomas Carper, to be a 
        Member of the Amtrak Board of Directors (Reappointment)
         Nomination of Mr. Howard Husock, to be a 
        Member of the Board of Directors, Corporation for 
        Public Broadcasting
         Nomination of Ms. Loretta Sutliff, to be a 
        Member of the Board of Directors, Corporation for 
        Public Broadcasting
         Nomination of Mr. Thomas E. Wheeler, to be 
        Chairman, Federal Communications Commission 
        (Reappointment)
         Nomination of Dr. Mark E. Schaefer, to be 
        Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and 
        Atmosphere, Department of Commerce
         Nominations for Promotion in the Coast Guard
    
    
    September 19, 2013 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         S.Res. 244, an original resolution authorizing 
        expenditures by the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation
         Nomination of Mr. Gregory Dainard Winfree, to 
        be Administrator of the Research and Innovative 
        Technology Administration, Department of Transportation
         Nomination of Mr. Christopher A. Hart, to be a 
        Member of the National Transportation Safety Board 
        (Reappointment)
         Nomination of Ms. Deborah A. P. Hersman, to be 
        Chairman and Member of the National Transportation 
        Safety Board (Reappointment)
    
    
    November 12, 2013 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         Nomination of Ms. Terrell McSweeny to be a 
        Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission
         Nomination of Dr. Robert Simon, to be 
        Associate Director for Environment and Energy, Office 
        of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of 
        the President
         Nomination of Dr. Jo Handelsman, to be 
        Associate Director for Science, Office of Science and 
        Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President
         Nomination of Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, to be 
        Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Department 
        of Commerce, and Administrator of the National Oceanic 
        and Atmospheric Administration
         Nominations for Promotion in the Coast Guard
    
    
    January 13, 2014 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         Nomination of Mr. Arun Kumar, to be Assistant 
        Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director General of 
        the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service, International 
        Trade Administration, Department of Commerce*
         Nomination of Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, for Under 
        Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and 
        for Administrator for the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration*
         Nomination of Dr. Robert Simon, to be 
        Associate Director for Environment and Energy, Office 
        of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of 
        the President*
         Nomination of Ms. Debra Miller, to be a Member 
        of the Surface Transportation Board*
         Nomination of Ms. Terrell McSweeny, to be a 
        Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission*
         Nomination of Mr. Paul Jaenichen, Sr., to be 
        Administrator of the Maritime Administration, 
        Department of Transportation*
         Nomination of Dr. Jo Handelsman, to be 
        Associate Director for Science, Office of Science and 
        Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President*
    
    
    April 9, 2014 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         S. 429, Concrete Masonry Products Research, 
        Education and Promotion Act of 2013 (Senate Report 113-
        319)
         S. 1014, Youth Sports Concussion Act (Senate 
        Report 113-310)
         S. 1406, Prevent All Soring Tactics Act 
        (Senate Report 113-254)
         S. 1275, Revitalizing the Economy of Fisheries 
        in the Pacific Act (Senate Report 113-251)
         S. 1468, Revitalize American Manufacturing and 
        Innovation Act of 2013 (Senate Report 113-247)
         S. 1793, Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial 
        Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2013 
        (Senate Report 113-269)
         S. 1925, Driver Privacy Act (Senate Report 
        113-255)
         S. 2022, Forensic Science and Standards Act of 
        2014 (Senate Report 113-320)
         S. 2028, Sport Fish Restoration and 
        Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2014 (Senate Report 
        113-205)
         S. 2076, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Board of 
        Visitors Enhancement Act (Senate Report 113-158)
         S. 2086, Reliable Home Heating Act (Senate 
        Report 113-162)
         S. 2140, A bill to improve the transition 
        between experimental permits and commercial licenses 
        for commercial reusable launch vehicles (Senate Report 
        113-318)
         H.R. 2052, Global Investment in American Jobs 
        Act (Senate Report 113-252)
         Nomination of Mr. David Arroyo, to be a Member 
        of the Board of Directors, Corporation for Public 
        Broadcasting*
         Nomination of Mr. William Doyle, to be a 
        Member of the Federal Maritime Commission 
        (Reappointment)
         Nominations for Promotion in the Coast Guard
    
    
    July 15, 2014 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         Nomination of Mr. Joseph P. Mohorovic, to be a 
        Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission*
         Nomination of Mr. Elliot F. Kaye, to be a 
        Commissioner and Chairman of the Consumer Product 
        Safety Commission
         Nomination of Ms. Judith M. Davenport, to be a 
        Member of the Board of Directors, Corporation for 
        Public Broadcasting
         Nomination of Ms. Elizabeth Sembler, to be a 
        Member of the Board of Directors, Corporation for 
        Public Broadcasting (Reappointment)
         Nomination of Mr. Victor M. Mendez, to be 
        Deputy Secretary, Department of Transportation
         Nomination of Mr. Bruce H. Andrews, to be 
        Deputy Secretary, Department of Commerce
         Nomination of Mr. Peter M. Rogoff, to be Under 
        Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Department of 
        Transportation
         Nomination of Mr. Marcus D. Jadotte, to be 
        Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis, 
        International Trade Administration, Department of 
        Commerce
         Nomination of Mr. Robert S. Adler, to be a 
        Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission 
        (Reappointment)
         Nominations for Promotion in the Coast Guard
    
    
    July 23, 2014 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         S. 1804, Aviation Security Stakeholder 
        Participation Act of 2013 (Senate Report 113-273)
         S. 1893, Transportation Security Acquisition 
        Reform Act (Senate Report 113-274)
         S. 2030, National Sea Grant College Program 
        Amendments Act of 2014 (Senate Report 113-279)
         S. 2094, Vessel Incidental Discharge Act 
        (Senate Report 113-304)
         S. 2250, Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and 
        Modernization Act of 2014 (Senate Report 113-234)
    
    
    September 17, 2014 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         S. 2338, United States Anti-Doping Agency 
        Authorization Act of 2014 (Senate Report 113-281)
         S. 2482, North Pacific Fisheries Convention 
        Implementation Act (Senate Report 113-314)
         S. 2484, South Pacific Fisheries Convention 
        Implementation Act (Senate Report 113-315)
         S. 2485, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 
        Convention Amendments Act (Senate Report 113-316)
         S. 2581, the Child Nicotine Poisoning 
        Prevention Act of 2014 (Senate Report 113-311)
         S. 2583, E-Label Act (Senate Report 113-280)
         S. 2759, A bill to release the City of St. 
        Clair, Missouri, from all restrictions, conditions, and 
        limitations on the use, encumbrance, conveyance, and 
        closure of the St. Clair Regional Airport (Senate 
        Report 113-282)
         S. 2777, Surface Transportation Board 
        Reauthorization Act of 2014 (Senate Report 113-321)
         S. 2799, Satellite Television Access and 
        Viewer Rights Act (Senate Report 113-322)
         Nomination of Mr. Christopher A. Hart, to be 
        Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board
         Nomination of Mr. Manson K. Brown, to be 
        Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and 
        Prediction, National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, Department of Commerce
    
    
    December 9, 2014 -- Consider and approve the following:
    
         Nomination of Dr. Willie E. May, of Maryland, 
        to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and 
        Technology
         Nomination of Dr. Tho Bella Dinh-Zarr, to be a 
        Member of the National Transportation Safety Board
         Nomination of Dr. Mark R. Rosekind, to be 
        Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety 
        Administration, United States Department of 
        Transportation
         Nomination of Mr. Carlos Monje, Jr., to be 
        Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, United 
        States Department of Transportation
    
    
    *Renominations (returned to the President upon recess of 
Congress, subsequently renominated)


     D. Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security 

    
    Members during the 113th Congress: Democrats--Senators 
Cantwell (Chairman), Boxer, Nelson, Pryor, Klobuchar, Begich, 
Schatz, Booker, and Walsh; Republicans--Senators Ayotte 
(Ranking Member), Wicker, Blunt, Rubio, Heller, Scott, Cruz, 
Fischer, and Johnson (WI).\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ In addition to the members listed for each individual 
subcommittee, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the full Committee 
serve as ex officio members of all subcommittees.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    The Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and 
Security dedicated its energy during the 113th Congress to 
modernizing and enhancing the safety of air travel. H.R. 1848, 
a bill to ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration 
advances the safety of small airplanes, and the continued 
development of the general aviation industry, and for other 
purposes, became law on November 27, 2013 (P.L. 113-53). This 
law directs the Federal Aviation Administration Administrator 
to update the certification process for small aircraft (and 
associated components) and complete a rulemaking to formalize 
the reform by 2015. It is expected to improve safety and lower 
costs associated with the design and manufacture of small 
aircraft.
    H.R. 1765, a bill to provide the Secretary of 
Transportation with the flexibility to transfer certain funds 
to prevent reduced operations and staffing of the Federal 
Aviation Administration, and for other purposes, became law on 
May 1, 2013 (P.L. 113-9). It authorizes the Secretary of 
Transportation to transfer funds from the Federal Aviation 
Administration's Airport Improvement Program Account to its 
Operations Account in order to end air traffic controller 
furloughs and avoid closing 149 air traffic control contract 
towers to achieve cuts required by sequestration.
    The subcommittee also emphasized the importance of rights 
for both consumers and employees in the airline industry. H.R. 
1344, a bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to direct 
the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation 
Security Administration) to provide expedited air passenger 
screening to severely injured or disabled members of the Armed 
Forces and severely injured or disabled veterans, and for other 
purposes, became law on August 9, 2013 (P.L. 113-27). This law 
requires the Transportation Security Administration to provide 
expedited screening through airport security checkpoints for 
severely injured and disabled veterans. S. Res. 324, a 
resolution expressing the sense of the Senate with respect to 
the tragic shooting at Los Angeles International Airport on 
November 1, 2013, of Transportation Security Administration 
employees, passed the Senate on December 18, 2013.
    
    This subcommittee contributed to 7 hearings during the 
113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 16, 2013*                              Aviation Safety: FAA's Progress on Key Safety Initiatives
June 19, 2013                                Airline Industry Consolidation (S.Hrg.113--318)
January 15, 2014*                            The Future of Unmanned Aviation in the U.S. Economy: Safety and
                                              Privacy Considerations
March 13, 2014                               The U.S. Aviation Industry and Jobs: Keeping American Manufacturing
                                              Competitive
April 30, 2014*                              Transportation Security Administration Oversight: Confronting
                                              America's Transportation Security Challenges
June 25, 2014                                NextGen: A Review of Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities for
                                              Improving Aviation Safety and Efficiency
July 31, 2014                                Domestic Challenges and Global Competition in Aviation
                                              Manufacturing
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    

    E. Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet 

    
    Members during the 113th Congress: Democrats--Senators 
Pryor (Chairman), Boxer, Nelson, Cantwell, McCaskill, 
Klobuchar, Begich, Blumenthal, Schatz, Markey, Booker, and 
Walsh; Republicans--Senators Wicker (Ranking Member), Blunt, 
Rubio, Ayotte, Heller, Coats, Scott, Cruz, Fischer, and Johnson 
(WI).
    
    Video issues were a priority for the Subcommittee on 
Communications, Technology, and the Internet during the 113th 
Congress. The provisions contained in Chairman Rockefeller's 
and Ranking Member Thune's bipartisan Satellite Television 
Access and Viewer Rights Act (STAVRA), S. 2799, were enacted as 
part of H.R. 5728, the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014 (P.L. 
113-200). The law reauthorizes certain provisions of the 
Communications Act of 1934 that govern satellite retransmission 
of television broadcast signals, which were set to expire at 
the end of 2014. STAVRA also amends the Communications Act of 
1934 to make several changes to existing video policy related 
to the television markets served by satellite pay TV companies; 
the ``good faith'' rules for retransmission consent 
negotiations; the integration ban rule presently applicable to 
cable set-top boxes; and the administrative rules for how small 
cable companies file petitions to prove effective competition 
under the Communications Act of 1934. Passage of S. 2799, as 
part of H.R. 5728, marked the most significant reforms to video 
policy since the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
    The subcommittee also examined the communications 
marketplace in order to better understand the state of the 
market and possible impediments to its growth. From that 
examination came S. 2583, the Enhance Labeling Accessing and 
Branding of Electronic Licenses Act or E-LABEL Act. S. 2583 was 
enacted on November 26, 2014 (P.L. 113-197). The E-LABEL Act 
promotes the non-exclusive use of electronic labeling for 
certain devices licensed by the Federal Communications 
Commission. Electronic labeling provides manufactures with a 
new option to speed the production of certain types of consumer 
electronic devices, while preserving consumers' access to 
essential information about those devices.
    
    This subcommittee contributed to 13 hearings, including 1 
field hearing, during the 113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 12, 2013*                              Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission (S.Hrg.113-132)
April 9, 2013                                The State of Rural Communications (S.Hrg.113-211)
May 14, 2013                                 State of Video
June 4, 2013                                 State of Wireless Communications (S.Hrg.113-223)
July 17, 2013*                               E-Rate 2.0: Connecting Every Child to the Transformative Power of
                                              Technology (S.Hrg.113-115)
July 25, 2013                                State of Wireline Communications (S.Hrg.113-265)
August 19, 2013\1\                           Connecting Urban and Rural America: The State of Communications on
                                              the Ground (S.Hrg.113-188)
October 29, 2013                             Broadband Adoption: The Next Mile (S.Hrg.113-307)
December 10, 2013*                           Crafting a Successful Incentive Auction: Stakeholders' Perspectives
                                              (S.Hrg.113-340)
January 16, 2014                             Locating 911 Callers in a Wireless World (S.Hrg.113-489)
April 1, 2014                                Reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism
                                              Act
June 5, 2014                                 Preserving Public Safety and Network Reliability in the IP
                                              Transition
July 16, 2014*                               At a Tipping Point: Consumer Choice, Consolidation and the Future
                                              Video Marketplace
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Field hearing held in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.


    

      F. Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness, and Innovation 

    
    Members during the 113th Congress: Democrats--Senators 
Schatz (Chairman), Nelson, Pryor, Klobuchar, Begich, Markey, 
and Walsh; Republicans--Senators Scott (Ranking Member), Blunt, 
Heller, Coats, Fischer, and Johnson (WI).
    
    The Subcommittee on Tourism, Competitiveness, and 
Innovation worked to promote job creation and strengthen the 
national economy by recommending legislation to establish a 
national network of advanced manufacturing hubs and to support 
international tourism.
    H.R. 2996, the Revitalize American Manufacturing and 
Innovation Act of 2014, was enacted into law as part of H.R. 
83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act 
of 2015 (P.L. 113-235). H.R. 2996 amended the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology Act to establish a 
Network for Manufacturing Innovation Program to improve U.S. 
manufacturing competitiveness; stimulate advanced manufacturing 
research, innovation, and technology; and promote the creation 
and preservation of manufacturing jobs. H.R. 2996 was the House 
companion to S. 1468, which the Committee reported favorably, 
as amended.
    S. 2250, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and 
Modernization Act of 2014, was enacted into law as part of H.R. 
83, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act 
of 2015. S. 2250 amended the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 to 
reauthorize Brand USA through fiscal year 2020 to continue 
promoting increased international travel to the United States. 
The law also updates reporting and oversight requirements. The 
Committee favorably reported S. 2250, as amended, on July 23, 
2014.
    
    This subcommittee contributed to 5 hearings during the 
113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 8, 2013*                                 The Role of Immigrants in America's Innovation Economy (S.Hrg.113-
                                              101)
October 11, 2013*                            The Impacts of the Government Shutdown on Our Economic Security
November 13, 2013*                           The Role of Manufacturing Hubs in a 21st Century Innovation Economy
May 8, 2014                                  The State of U.S. Travel and Tourism: Industry Efforts to Attract
                                              100 Million Visitors Annually
June 26, 2014                                The State of U.S. Travel and Tourism: Government Efforts to Attract
                                              100 Million Visitors Annually
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    

 G. Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance 

    
    Members during the 113th Congress: Democrats--Senators 
McCaskill (Chairman), Boxer, Pryor, Klobuchar, Blumenthal, 
Schatz, and Booker; Republicans--Senators Heller (Ranking 
Member), Blunt, Ayotte, Coats, Cruz, and Fischer.
    
    The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, 
and Insurance worked to protect consumers from unfair and 
deceptive acts and practices and from unsafe products as well 
as ensure to the integrity of sports.
    Two bills referred to the Committee under the 
subcommittee's jurisdiction became law in the 113th Congress. 
S. 2338 (P.L. 113-280), the United States Anti-Doping Agency 
Reauthorization Act, amended the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 to reauthorize the 
United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) through fiscal year 
2020. The law also updated USADA's authority by striking 
existing statutory language on gene-doping and replacing it 
with general authority to enforce against prohibited 
performance-enhancing methods. H.R. 2754, the Collectible Coin 
Protection Act, (P.L. 113-288) amended the Hobby Protection Act 
to make it unlawful for an individual to assist or support a 
manufacturer, importer, or seller if the individual knows or 
should have known that the manufacturer, importer, or seller 
has engaged in unlawful imitation political items, coins, or 
other numismatic items.
    The subcommittee also addressed numerous consumer 
protection and product safety issues by holding oversight 
hearings, and recommending legislation on rental car safety, 
youth sports concussion, horse soring, carbon monoxide 
poisoning, driver privacy, and liquid nicotine poisoning. The 
subcommittee was especially active with auto safety matters due 
to the General Motors ignition switch recalls, which were part 
of the more than 60 million auto recalls in 2014, an all-time 
record.
    
    This subcommittee contributed to 17 hearings during the 
113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 27, 2013*                           The Power of Transparency: Giving Consumers the Information They
                                              Need to Make Smart Choices in the Health Insurance Marketplace
                                              (S.Hrg.113-311)
April 24, 2013*                              A Status Update on the Development of Voluntary Do-Not-Track
                                              Standards
May 7, 2013                                  Credit Reports: What Accuracy and Errors Mean for Consumers
                                              (S.Hrg.113-060)
May 15, 2013*                                The Road Ahead: Advanced Vehicle Technology and its Implications
                                              (S.Hrg.113-78)
May 21, 2013                                 S. 921, The Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of
                                              2013 (S.Hrg.113-64)
July 10, 2013                                Stopping Fraudulent Robocall Scams: Can More Be Done? (S.Hrg.113-
                                              117)
July 17, 2013                                The Expansion of Internet Gambling: Assessing Consumer Protection
                                              Concerns (S.Hrg.113-84)
November 7, 2013                             Demand Letters and Consumer Protection: Examining Deceptive
                                              Practices by Patent Assertion Entities (S.Hrg.113-204)
February 6, 2014*                            Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological
                                              Solutions to Distracted Driving
March 26, 2014*                              Protecting Personal Consumer Information from Cyber Attacks and
                                              Data Breaches
April 2, 2014                                Examining the GM Recall and NHTSA's Defect Investigation Process
June 17, 2014                                Protecting Consumers from False and Deceptive Advertising of Weight-
                                              Loss Products
July 9, 2014*                                Promoting the Well-Being and Academic Success of College Athletes
July 17, 2014                                Examining Accountability and Corporate Culture in Wake of the GM
                                              Recalls
September 16, 2014                           Oversight of and Policy Considerations for the National Highway
                                              Traffic Safety Administration
November 20, 2014*                           Examining Takata Airbag Defects and the Vehicle Recall Process
December 2, 2014*                            Addressing Domestic Violence in Professional Sports
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    

   H. Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard 

    
    Members during the 113th Congress: Democrats--Senators 
Begich (Chairman), Nelson, Cantwell, Blumenthal, Schatz, 
Markey, and Booker; Republicans--Senators Rubio (Ranking 
Member), Wicker, Ayotte, Coats, Scott, and Cruz.
    
    The Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation 
Act of 2014 was enacted on December 18, 2014 (P.L. 113-281). 
This comprehensive legislation authorizes funding for the Coast 
Guard's operating expenses, acquisitions, and other major 
accounts, as well as an end-of-year strength for active duty 
personnel, for fiscal year 2015. The Act also makes a number of 
refinements to the Coast Guard's organic statutory authorities 
and the shipping and navigation laws that will improve Coast 
Guard prevention, preparedness, and response capabilities with 
respect to marine safety, marine environmental preparedness, 
and ice operations in the polar regions.
    Provisions from several other bills that were either 
reported by, or referred to, the Committee were included in 
that Act. Provisions from the Coast Guard Quality of Life Act 
(S. 1760), including provisions dealing with Coast Guard family 
support, child care, and Tuition Assistance Program coverage of 
textbooks were enacted as a part of that Act. Also included in 
that Act were several provisions from S. 2131, the Coast Guard 
Arctic Preparedness Act, dealing with, inter alia, in-kind 
payment of official travel and subsistence expenses for marine 
safety personnel; improvements in oil spill area contingency 
plans and vessel response plans; intergovernmental notice of 
marine casualties; protection and fair treatment of abandoned 
seafarers; interagency fusion of information for improved 
Arctic maritime domain awareness; and the construction of 
forward operating facilities in the Arctic.
    S. 1254, a bill to reauthorize, revise, and expand the 
Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act, was 
enacted into law on June 30, 2014 (P.L. 113-124). The Act 
directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to 
maintain a national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program, 
and to develop a research plan and action strategy to address 
marine and freshwater harmful algal blooms and hypoxia.
    Additionally, H.R. 2431, a bill reauthorizing the National 
Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Program, was 
enacted into law on March 6, 2014 (P.L. 113-86). S. 376, the 
Drought Information Act of 2013, was the Senate companion bill. 
The legislation provides continued support for NIDIS and 
specifies that the program's purpose shall be to better inform 
and provide for timelier decision-making to reduce drought 
related impacts and costs.
    
    This subcommittee contributed to 13 hearings, including 2 
field hearings, during the 113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 19, 2013                               Developments and Opportunities in U.S. Fisheries Management
                                              (S.Hrg.113-99)
March 27, 2013\2\                            Assessing U.S. Preparedness and Response in the Arctic: The
                                              Opportunities and Challenges of Increased Marine Activity
                                              (S.Hrg.113-116)
April 23, 2013                               Oversight of the President's Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Requests for
                                              Coast Guard and NOAA (S.Hrg.113-105)
June 6, 2013*                                Gulf Restoration: A Progress Report Three Years after the Deepwater
                                              Horizon Disaster
June 11, 2013                                Deep Sea Challenge: Innovative Partnerships in Ocean Observation
                                              (S.Hrg.113-268)
July 23, 2013                                New England and Mid-Atlantic Perspectives on Magnuson-Stevens Act
                                              Reauthorization (S.Hrg.113-261)
August 13, 2013*\3\                          Effects of Water Flows on Apalachicola Bay: Short and Long Term
                                              Perspectives
September 24, 2013                           The Role of Certification in Rewarding Sustainable Fishing
                                              (S.Hrg.113-269)
November 14, 2013                            Southeast Regional Perspectives on Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization
December 12, 2013                            Forecasting Success: Achieving U.S. Weather Readiness for the Long
                                              Term
January 30, 2014                             West Coast and Western Pacific Perspectives on Magnuson-Stevens Act
                                              Reauthorization
February 27, 2014                            North Pacific Perspectives on Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization
July 29, 2014                                Revisiting the RESTORE Act: Progress and Challenges in Gulf
                                              Restoration Post-Deepwater Horizon
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\Field hearing held in Anchorage, Alaska at the University of Alaska Anchorage/Alaska Pacific University
  Consortium Library.
\3\Field hearing held in Apalachicola, Florida at the Franklin County Courthouse.



                 I. Subcommittee on Science and Space 

    
    Members during the 113th Congress: Democrats--Senators 
Nelson (Chairman), Boxer, Pryor, Klobuchar, Blumenthal, Markey, 
and Walsh; Republicans--Senators Cruz (Ranking Member), Wicker, 
Rubio, Heller, Coats, and Johnson (WI). Senators Cowan and 
Heinrich were replaced by Senators Markey and Walsh for the 
Democrats. Senator Warner of the Democrats left the 
Subcommittee and full Committee in February 2014.
    
    Legislation pending in and addressed by the Subcommittee on 
Science and Space affected a wide range of topics including 
civil and commercial space activities; basic research; forensic 
science reform; science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics (STEM) education; and cybersecurity.
    Several major cybersecurity breaches, affecting both 
industry and government, occurred or were reported during the 
113th Congress. On March 26, 2014, for example, the full 
Committee held a hearing examining the massive Target data 
breach that occurred in November and December of 2013. At this 
hearing, entitled, ``Protecting Personal Consumer Information 
from Cyber Attacks and Data Breaches,'' Chairman Rockefeller 
released a staff report presenting an ``intrusion kill chain'' 
analysis of the Target breach. The report described how the 
company missed multiple opportunities to detect and stop the 
attack before hackers successfully exfiltrated the personal and 
financial information of as many as 110 million American 
consumers from Target's computer network. Related to this 
issue, the subcommittee developed S. 1353, the Cybersecurity 
Act of 2013, which was reported with an amendment in the nature 
of a substitute by the Committee in July 2014. S. 1353 calls 
for the identification of security standards to protect 
critical infrastructure from cyber threats through public-
private collaboration, increases cybersecurity research, 
education, and workforce development, and promotes public 
awareness. The subcommittee also received referrals of H.R. 
756, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013, and H.R. 967, 
the Advancing America's Networking and Information Technology 
Research and Development Act of 2013. In December 2014, the 
Committee amended the reported version of S. 1353, 
incorporating portions of H.R. 756. The revised bill, the 
Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014, was enacted into law on 
December 11, 2014 (P.L. 113-274).
    In handling space issues, the subcommittee oversaw S.Res. 
24, a resolution commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the 
loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The resolution passed the 
Senate in January 2013. The subcommittee also supported H.R. 
667, a bill to designate the Dryden Flight Research Center as 
the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center and the Western 
Aeronautical Test Range as the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test 
Range. Introduced in the Senate as S. 1636, H.R. 667 became law 
in January 16, 2014 (P.L. 113-75). The subcommittee also 
amended and guided enactment of H.R. 3547, the Space Launch 
Liability Indemnification Extension Act (P.L. 113-76). H.R. 
3547, which served as the vehicle for the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act of 2014, extended launch indemnification for 
commercial space launches through 2016. The amended bill 
language derived from S. 1753, a bill to extend Government 
liability, subject to appropriation, for certain third-party 
claims arising from commercial space launches.
    The subcommittee helped develop S. 1317, the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Authorization Act 
of 2013, which was ordered reported in July 2013 but did not 
receive further consideration on the Senate floor. This bill 
sought to authorize NASA programs and the necessary 
appropriations for fiscal years 2014, 2015, and 2016. The 
subcommittee received H.R. 4412, the NASA Authorization Act of 
2014, which was referred to the subcommittee in June 2014. H.R. 
4412 authorized NASA programs and appropriations for fiscal 
year 2014. In November 2014, Senator Nelson introduced an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 4412. The 
amendment featured a bipartisan update to S. 1317, with an 
authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 2015. The 
subcommittee also contributed to S. 2140, a bill to address the 
permitting and licensing of commercial reusable launch 
vehicles, and S. 2836, which would require an integrated space 
launch policy for the United States. The Committee ordered S. 
2140 reported favorably in April 2014.
    To further the Nation's basic research enterprise, the 
subcommittee helped develop S. 2757, the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2014, which would authorize programs and 
appropriations for fiscal years 2015 through 2019 for the 
National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST). COMPETES would also support 
NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
education programs and provide policy guidance to the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy. Further, COMPETES would 
strengthen the successful NIST Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership, NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, and 
National Nanotechnology Initiative. The subcommittee received 
referrals on several related bills, including S.  288, a bill 
to increase the participation of women and minorities in STEM; 
S. 899, to establish a Science Laureate of the United States; 
H.R. 5035, to authorize NIST programs and funding for fiscal 
year 2014; H.R. 5056, to reduce regulatory burdens on the 
research community; and S. 2879, to coordinate Federal research 
and development and technology transfer in sustainable 
chemistry. S. 2757 included elements of or otherwise addressed 
issues relevant to S. 288, H.R. 5035, and H.R. 5056.
    As in previous Congresses, the subcommittee also addressed 
the development of forensic science standards. The Committee 
ordered S. 2022, the Forensic Science and Standards Act of 
2014, be reported favorably in April 2014. S. 2022 sought to 
promote increased basic research related to forensic science 
and direct the updating or creation of voluntary consensus-
based forensic science standards, among other provisions.
    Finally, to further support the NSF in its management of 
Antarctica, the subcommittee reviewed and made substantive 
corrections to two bills addressing Antarctic activity. Neither 
the Antarctic Conservation Act Amendments of 2014 nor the 
Antarctic Nongovernmental Activity Preparedness Act of 2014 was 
formally introduced, following a determination by the 
Parliamentarian that they would be referred to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
    
    This subcommittee contributed to 12 hearings, including 1 
field hearing, during the 113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 7, 2013*\4\                            The Cybersecurity Partnership Between the Private Sector and Our
                                              Government: Protecting our National and Economic Security
                                              (S.Hrg.113--295)
March 20, 2013                               Assessing the Risks, Impacts, and Solutions for Space Threats
April 23, 2013                               Challenges and Opportunities for Human Space Exploration
May 7, 2013                                  Live Briefing with Astronaut Onboard International Space Station
May 16, 2013                                 Partnerships to Advance the Business of Space (S.Hrg.113-277)
June 26, 2013*                               From the Lab Bench to the Courtroom: Advancing the Science and
                                              Standards of Forensics (S.Hrg.113-274)
July 25, 2013*                               The Partnership Between NIST and the Private Sector: Improving
                                              Cybersecurity (S.Hrg.113-285)
November 6, 2013*                            America COMPETES: Science and the U.S. Economy
April 9, 2014                                From Here to Mars
April 22, 2014\5\                            Leading the Way: Adapting to South Florida's Changing Coastline
July 16, 2014*\6\                            Options for Assuring Domestic Space Access
July 17, 2014*                               The Federal Research Portfolio: Capitalizing on Investments in R&D
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\Joint hearing with the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
\5\Field hearing held in Miami Beach, Florida at City Hall, Commission Chambers.
\6\Joint hearing with the Committee on Armed Services' of the Senate, Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.



     J. Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine 
                  Infrastructure, Safety, and Security

    
    Members during the 113th Congress: Democrats--Senators 
Blumenthal (Chairman), Boxer, Cantwell, Pryor, McCaskill, 
Klobuchar, Begich, Schatz, Markey, Booker, and Walsh; 
Republicans--Senators Blunt (Ranking Member), Wicker, Rubio, 
Ayotte, Heller, Coats, Scott, Cruz, Fischer, and Johnson (WI).
    
    The Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant 
Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security contributed to the 
passage and enactment of several transportation-related bills 
in the 113th Congress.
    H.R. 4076, the Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through 
Transportation Act of 2014, which grants limited, emergency 
exemptions from Federal motor carrier regulations to address 
shortages and interruptions in the availability of propane and 
other home heating fuels, was enacted on March 21, 2014 (P.L. 
113-90).
    H.R. 3304, the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2014, which authorizes the Maritime Administration 
for specified activities, including operation and support of 
the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the State maritime 
academies, the disposal of obsolete vessels in the National 
Defense Reserve Fleet, and maintaining a U.S.-flag merchant 
fleet, was enacted on December 26, 2013 (P.L. 113-66).
    H.R. 3095, a bill to ensure that any new or revised 
requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment 
of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep 
disorders is adopted through a rulemaking proceeding, and for 
other purposes, was enacted on October 15, 2013 (P.L. 113-45).
    H.R. 2576, a bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to 
modify requirements relating to the availability of pipeline 
safety regulatory documents, and for other purposes, was 
enacted on August 9, 2013 (P.L. 113-30).
    H.R. 4838, which designates the railroad station located at 
2955 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commonly 
known as 30th Street Station, as the ``William H. Gray III 30th 
Street Station,'' was enacted on August 8, 2014 (P.L. 113-158).
    
    This subcommittee contributed to 15 hearings, including 2 
field hearings, during the 113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 28, 2013*\7\                         Pipeline Safety: An On-The-Ground Look at Safeguarding the Public
                                              (S.Hrg.113-043)
April 10, 2013*                              Expanding the Panama Canal: What Does it Mean for American Freight
                                              and Infrastructure? (S.Hrg.113-233)
April 17, 2013*                              The Future of Passenger Rail: What's Next for the Northeast
                                              Corridor? (S.Hrg.113-235)
June 19, 2013*                               Staying on Track: Next Steps in Improving Passenger and Freight
                                              Rail Safety (S.Hrg.113-257)
July 24, 2013*                               Cruise Industry Oversight: Recent Incidents Show Need for Stronger
                                              Focus on Consumer Protection
September 24, 2013                           Rebuilding the Nation's Infrastructure: Leveraging Innovative
                                              Financing to Supplement Federal Investment (S.Hrg.113-242)
October 28, 2013\8\                          Power Outage on Metro-North's New Haven Line: How to Prevent Future
                                              Failures Along Passenger Rail's Busiest Corridor (S.Hrg.113-209)
March 6, 2014                                Enhancing our Rail Safety: Current Challenges for Passenger and
                                              Freight Rail (S.Hrg.113-376)
May 7, 2014*                                 Surface Transportation Reauthorization: Progress, Challenges, and
                                              Next Steps
May 15, 2014                                 Surface Transportation Reauthorization: Local Perspectives on
                                              Moving America (S.Hrg.113-399)
June 3, 2014                                 Surface Transportation Reauthorization: Examining the Safety and
                                              Effectiveness of our Transportation Systems (S.Hrg.113-499)
July 23, 2014*                               The Cruise Passenger Protection Act (S. 1340): Improving Consumer
                                              Protections for Cruise Passengers (S.Hrg.113-488)
July 29, 2014                                Opportunities and Challenges for Improving Truck Safety on our
                                              Highways
September 10, 2014*                          Freight Rail Service: Improving the Performance of America's Rail
                                              System
December 10, 2014                            Passenger Rail: Investing in our Nation's Future
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\Field hearing held in Charleston, West Virginia at the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse.
\8\Field hearing held in Bridgeport, Connecticut at Bridgeport City Hall.



                    K. Oversight and Investigations 


 The Power of Transparency: Giving Consumers the Information They Need 
         to Make Smart Choices in Health Insurance Marketplace

    The Committee held a hearing on the benefits of providing 
consumers with clear and concise information to make an 
informed decision when purchasing health insurance. To bring 
more transparency to the health insurance market, the 2010 
health care reform law created a new ``clear labeling'' 
requirement, which required insurers to give consumers a 
``Summary of Benefits and Coverage'' (SBC) document. With 
clearly presented plan features, consumers were given the 
ability make comparisons between health insurance products. The 
hearing was held to shed light on the effectiveness of the SBC 
as a tool for creating transparency and improving consumers' 
health plan shopping experience.

  Cruise Ship Crime: Consumers have Incomplete Access to Cruise Crime 
                                  Data

    To highlight ongoing consumer protection concerns regarding 
crime reporting on cruise ships, the Committee and the 
Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine 
Infrastructure, Safety, and Security produced a majority staff 
report, in conjunction with a hearing, which showed consumers 
have incomplete access to cruise crime data. As part of its 
investigation, the Committee reviewed data provided to the 
Committee by cruise lines and the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation. Through the hearing and letters, Chairman 
Rockefeller sought and obtained from all major cruise lines a 
commitment to safety and security procedures, as well as 
detailed information regarding their revenues from voyages 
originating from U.S. ports and fees paid to U.S. Government 
entities. Chairman Rockefeller also introduced the Cruise 
Passenger Protection Act of 2013 (S. 1340) to address consumer 
protection deficiencies that were identified through oversight 
efforts, as well as legislation to end the cruise lines' 
exemption from U.S. income tax and to impose a 5 percent excise 
tax on revenue generated by U.S. cruises. Certain crime data 
provisions were incorporated into the Howard Coble Coast Guard 
and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-281).

       Energy Drinks: Exploring Concerns About Marketing to Youth

    Working with Senators Durbin, Blumenthal, and Markey to 
promote public education pertaining to industry accountability 
regarding the risks posed to youth by energy drinks, Chairman 
Rockefeller directed an investigation into the marketing 
practices of energy drink companies to youth. The investigation 
led to a full Committee hearing which spotlighted concerns of 
public health experts that children and teens are particularly 
susceptible to harmful health effects associated with high 
added caffeine content and other stimulants in these drinks, 
such as cardiovascular problems, anxiety, insomnia, and 
digestive problems. At the hearing, top executives of the three 
leading energy drink brands were successfully pressed to commit 
on the record to a number of new marketing limitations, such as 
not marketing products in K-12 school settings. Building on the 
success of the hearing, Chairman Rockefeller and the above-
mentioned Senators followed up with letters to 17 major energy 
drink brands demanding a series of additional commitments to 
stop marketing energy drinks to youth.

                Impacts of the 2013 Government Shutdown

    A few weeks after the Government shutdown, the Committee 
held a hearing and released a report on the varying impacts of 
the 2013 Government shutdown. The report found that, as a 
result of the shutdown and subsequent employee furloughs, 
agencies had been forced to suspend or cease many vital 
operations, and provided specific details on programs that came 
to a halt. The report also pointed out that the shutdown 
highlighted the leading role of Federal Government services to 
the safety and economic security of our Nation, and the 
critical importance of Federal investments in research and 
development.

   Update on the Financial State of the Class I Freight Rail Industry

    The Committee issued an update to the 2010 Committee 
majority staff report that examined the financial state of the 
dominant Class I rail companies. The updated report found that 
in the past four years, these Class I rail companies achieved 
improvement in their financial status, reporting quarterly or 
all-time company records in operating ratios, operating income, 
and earnings per share.

Soldiers as Consumers: Predatory and Unfair Business Practices Harming 
                         the Military Community

    The Committee held a full Committee hearing to help advance 
tougher protections against predatory lending targeting 
military members. The hearing built on a forum that Chairman 
Rockefeller co-led in July 2011 to discuss illegal foreclosure 
notices that soldiers were receiving. The hearing underscored 
how predatory loan companies, many geographically located just 
outside military installations, and many others existing 
online, prey on young soldiers who are away from home for the 
first time and have a steady Government paycheck. Chairman 
Rockefeller urged Federal and State law agencies to stop 
companies from continuing to exploit soldiers.

                              Data Brokers

    Between 2012 and 2014, the Committee investigated the data 
broker industry, a multi-billion dollar industry that 
experienced explosive growth by collecting, using, and selling 
consumers' public and private information. Chairman Rockefeller 
directed an investigation of ``data brokers'' or companies that 
generally collect information from sources other than directly 
from the consumer, without consumer consent or input, and 
operate with minimal transparency. The investigation found that 
data brokers collect a huge volume of detailed information that 
sometimes includes personal health information such as ailments 
consumers have, and data as specific as whether they bought a 
particular shampoo in the last few months. The investigation 
also revealed evidence that certain data brokers sell products 
that identify financially vulnerable consumers, such as 
marketing lists identifying ``rural and barely making it'' 
consumers, which may appeal to unscrupulous businesses seeking 
targets for predatory financially risky products.\2\ The 
investigation led to a full Committee hearing and the release 
of a majority staff report explaining the findings. Following 
the hearing, Chairman Rockefeller introduced a version of 
legislation he had previously introduced, the Data Broker 
Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2025), to improve the 
transparency of data broker practices.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\Testimony at the Committee's December 2013 hearing indicated 
that such lists may also be used by government agencies seeking to 
identify individuals eligible for government assistance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

             Investigation of Foreclosure Rescue Companies

    Responding to consumer complaints about mortgage 
modification services, Chairman Rockefeller initiated an 
investigation of foreclosure rescue companies subject to a high 
volume of consumer complaints. Despite ongoing efforts by 
enforcement agencies in this area, consumer complaints remained 
high, citing false and deceptive practices by foreclosure 
rescue companies, and recent reports indicated that companies 
were engaging in increasingly complex schemes to elude 
enforcement actions. The investigation aimed to help the 
Committee and the public understand the practices of 
foreclosure rescue companies in targeting and interacting with 
struggling homeowners.

                           Medical Loss Ratio

    Continuing Chairman Rockefeller's scrutiny of the health 
insurance industry's business practices, the Committee examined 
the impact of the ``medical loss ratio'' (MLR) rules that were 
ultimately included in the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The law 
encourages health insurance companies to spend at least 80 
percent of their individual and small group policyholders' 
premiums, and 85 percent of large group policyholders' 
premiums, on medical care or on improving the quality of their 
care or else provide consumers with rebates. The hearing 
examined the impact the MLR requirements in health care reform 
have had on ensuring that health insurers are accountable to 
consumers and provide appropriate value for premium dollars.

 Aggressive E-Cigarette Marketing and Potential Consequences for Youth

    After published data showed increased use of e-cigarettes 
by youth and additional concerns from the public health 
community that these products pose serious health risks to 
young people, Chairman Rockefeller joined Senators Durbin and 
Blumenthal, Representative Waxman, and other members of 
Congress in a bicameral inquiry seeking information regarding 
marketing practices of major e-cigarette manufacturers. The 
resulting bicameral joint investigative report, released in 
April 2014, recommended that e-cigarette companies make efforts 
to prevent the sale of e-cigarettes to youth and exercise 
restraint in using television and radio advertisements. It also 
urged the Food and Drug Administration to act quickly to issue 
regulations to restrict the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes. 
Chairman Rockefeller held a hearing, bringing before the full 
Committee the top executives of two leading e-cigarette 
manufacturers to press them for commitments regarding limiting 
marketing messages to youth. The day after the hearing, the 
press reported that the main celebrity spokeswoman for an e-
cigarette company, who had been spotlighted at the hearing as 
an example of how the e-cigarette industry is using celebrity 
images with appeal to youth, would no longer be representing 
the company. In addition, shortly after the hearing, photos of 
a teen idol used by an e-cigarette company on social media 
disappeared from the company's marketing materials.

                    Cramming on Wireless Phone Bills

    After a July 2011 hearing and a majority staff report on 
landline cramming, or unauthorized third-party charges on phone 
bills, Chairman Rockefeller in 2012 opened an inquiry to 
examine the scope of wireless cramming and industry practices 
to protect consumers against unauthorized charges on their 
wireless bills. As with landline billing, the wireless industry 
asserted that cramming on wireless phone bills was a ``de 
minimis'' concern. The Committee reviewed hundreds of pages of 
documents that it requested from major wireless carriers as 
well as documents the Committee received in response to its 
subpoena to a major aggregator, an intermediary in the billing 
process. The Committee released a majority staff report in 
conjunction with a full Committee hearing to assess lessons 
learned from industry failures to prevent cramming and to show 
that wireless cramming is widespread and costs consumers 
hundreds of millions of dollars while yielding substantial 
revenues for the industry. After the hearing, the major 
wireless carriers announced that, as of 2014 they would stop 
allowing the placement of most premium third-party text 
messaging charges, which had been the focus of most consumer 
cramming complaints.

  Investigation into Airline Passenger Fees and Consumer Data Privacy 
                                Policies

    Continuing focus on consumer protection issues, the 
Committee opened an inquiry into airline passenger fees and 
consumer data privacy policies. The Committee sent letters to 
the top ten revenue generating U.S. passenger airlines about 
the disclosure of certain additional fees consumers encounter 
during the ticket purchasing process, such as checked and 
carry-on luggage, seat selection, and priority boarding. The 
inquiry also asked the airlines to provide information about 
internal policies aimed at protecting consumer information 
gathered during the ticket purchase process.
    
    The Office of Oversight and Investigations contributed to 6 
oversight-related hearings during the 113th Congress.

                               HEARINGS:

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Date                                                    Title
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 31, 2013*                               Energy Drinks: Exploring Concerns About Marketing to Youth
                                              (S.Hrg.113-331)
November 20, 2013*                           Soldiers as Consumers: Predatory and Unfair Business Practices
                                              Harming the Military Community (S.Hrg.113-362)
December 18, 2013*                           What Information Do Data Brokers Have on Consumers, and How Do They
                                              Use It?
May 21, 2014*                                Delivering Better Health Care Value to Consumers: The First Three
                                              Years of the Medical Loss Ratio (S.Hrg.113-500)
June 18, 2014*                               Aggressive E-Cigarette Marketing and Potential Consequences for
                                              Youth
July 30, 2014*                               Cramming on Wireless Phone Bills: A Review of Consumer Protection
                                              Practices and Gaps
 
*Full Committee hearing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                  [all]