Jay Rockefeller

I think the administration was very bold in their nationwide passenger rail network concept.

The President proposes to spend a record $556 billion on surface transportation programs, literally doubling almost what we spent in the last 6 years of authorization.

The success of Magnuson-Stevens and the recovery of the ground fishery will only be accomplished if we build a climate of trust between fishing communities and regulators.

Logically, fines should be invested in restoring species harmed through violations, not more funding for more enforcement.

I am proud that the law included my language to safeguard deep sea corals--which are sometimes known as the 'rainforests of the ocean' because of the diversity of species that call them home.

I will not stand as individuals at NOAA and NMFS undermine, harass, and in some cases bankrupt, the very fishermen they should partner with.

I remain gravely concerned that fisheries management in New England is in a state of antagonism, mistrust, and dysfunction.

today I want to honor the passing of America's last surviving veteran of the First World War, Mr. Frank Woodruff Buckles. It is important that we as a nation express our deep appreciation for the sacrifices that Mr. Buckles and his…

I know the Senator from Utah, and I remind him he was the lead author of the Hatch-Waxman Act, creating the 180-day period for generics.

my amendment is based on legislation I introduced earlier this year, obviously quite recently. The cosponsors of that bill, which is called the Fair Prescription Drug Competition Act, are Senator Shaheen, Senator Leahy, who chairs the…

On March 2, the Commerce Committee held an extraordinary all day hearing on the serious safety defects found in Toyota vehicles.

I have enormous respect for you, as you know.

Completely satisfactory.

I have this feeling that we are not going to get funded.

One of the reasons I am here... is that this is your first day chairing, and I think that is extraordinarily good news for the Veterans' Committee.

What can we do? I am just in the wilderness on this.

I particularly want to thank my ranking member, whom I refer to as my cochair, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, for her incredibly hard, smart, indefatigable commitment and pure determination to see this bill through. I could not have asked…

I believe this bill is fundamental to our Nation's long-term economic competitiveness. It will create good-paying jobs across the country. It will improve the safety and efficiency of our Nation's air transportation system. And it will…

Senator Boxer--and not everybody knows this--is the author of the passengers' bill of rights. It has been an obsession of hers. It is not about helping airlines; it is about helping human beings. That has been a long process on the…

I want to be helpful, and we will continue to be helpful. There are some in positions not to be helpful and are not being helpful. I will continue to be helpful on this issue, not just on the substance because he has been so important in…

today I am introducing the Incentives to Educate American Children Act of 2011--I TEACH. This bill provides important tax incentives to promote the quality of all public school teachers by encouraging them to achieve certification from the…

I rise today to introduce the Community Hospital Jobs Act of 2011, legislation that gives Fairmont General Hospital, a small community hospital in West Virginia, the chance to make an important transition. Many of Marion County's residents…

I think, generally speaking, we have tried to bring everybody in. Senators do have rights, and as a bill comes closer to a cloture vote or passage vote, some of those rights are exercised, which then complicates things. On the other hand…

I wish to echo what Senator Hutchison has just said. In the process of legislation, if you look at it logically, you do it over a period of years--1 or 2--or a number of months, and people get their amendments in. That has not been the…

I wish to make a couple of observations. First of all, I apologize to all of our colleagues having to postpone cloture and precloture votes. What has happened is a number of folks have come in at the very last second and asked for changes…