The Public Record
John Davison Rockefeller IV, commonly known as Jay Rockefeller, is a prominent American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Born on June 18, 1937, in New York City, he served as the Governor of West Virginia from 1977 to 1985 and later represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 1985 until his retirement in 2015. During his time in the Senate, Rockefeller was known for his work on healthcare, education, and technology issues, advocating for the expansion of access to healthcare and the improvement of education systems in West Virginia and across the nation.
on behalf of all hard working West Virginians who are worried about keeping their jobs, I must oppose the corporate tax bill the Senate is considering today. For more than a year, I have been working with my colleagues to craft legislation…
I say to the distinguished ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, that, in fact, to get into the room space is a problem. We do not have a single place to put a single person except in the back of the room. Now, that…
On Monday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the Trade Adjustment Assistance health coverage tax credit, HCTC. The report confirms what many in Congress have been saying since the HCTC program began--the…
I began to think, I don't know of any committee in the Congress which is more specifically and more logically set up with respect to representation from other committees. We have the Foreign Relations Committee. We have the Judiciary…
strengthening the two congressional Intelligence Committees was a fundamental part of the 9/11 Commission recommendations for improving congressional oversight. This is more of that. They made many recommendations, most of which were…
Yesterday marked a critical juncture in the fight to provide comprehensive and affordable health care coverage for our Nation's children. Congress had a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of…
I rise to offer, along with Senator Hutchison, and also Senator Roberts and Senator Mikulski, this amendment. I will explain it in further detail. But the main objective of our amendment is to institutionalize much needed reform, based…
every 18 seconds a fire department somewhere in America responds to a fire. And sadly, in 2001, not including those killed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, there were almost 4,000 deaths in America resulting from fires, including…
today the Senate is taking important action to protect working Americans from a tax increase at the end of the year. I am pleased to join my colleagues in voting for this bill and supporting middle class families. Of all the tax cuts…
Porter Goss has been very well vetted. What has come from this discussion back and forth are several things. One, he is a very good man. Second, he knows the intelligence business. Third, I think there is still a question of whether he has…
I am proud to cosponsor and to speak in support of the amendment offered today by my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Byrd. As Members of Congress, our most sacred duty is protecting our fellow Americans. We do this in several ways…
a good friend of ours, Ambassador C. J. (Chien-Jen) Chen, will soon be leaving Washington, DC, after having served for nearly 4 years as Taiwan's principal representative. We are going to miss him very much. C. J. brought a wealth of…
This nomination is a personal one for many of us, as we have all watched Debbie work tirelessly on behalf of us and our constituents. Before I discuss all of the reasons that Debbie is absolutely the right person for this position, I want…
Memorial Day is always a time for our country to gratefully remember the brave men and women and their families who risked their lives in defense of our country and our fundamental American values. This year is a special time because we…
I am proud today to cosponsor S. 2411, the Assistance to Firefighters Act of 2004. This legislation, introduced by my colleagues Senators Dodd and DeWine, would reauthorize the FIRE Act grant program through 2010, as well as make a number…
I ask my colleague to explain what, if any, impact the codification of economic substance doctrine would have on the new markets tax credit. As my colleague knows, the new markets tax credit, NMTC, was signed into law in 2000 and is the…
this afternoon I will vote to adopt the pension reform legislation before the Senate. However, I do so with serious reservations. The reforms in this bill are critical for both pension security and economic growth. Congress cannot allow…
I rise for a moment to add my voice to those who praise Senator Robert C. Byrd. I think what every public servant deserves, and occasionally gets, is a recognition that his or her service is in fact profoundly appreciated. That is usually…
I rise to oppose the budget resolution that the Senate is considering today. Quite simply, this resolution does not reflect the priorities of West Virginians. The policies promoted here would not be in the best interests of the…
We are once again in a dire fiscal situation. States face the prospect of having to cut benefits to kids, particularly poor kids, needy families, and seniors in nursing homes, something which 75 Senators voted not to do last year. It…
I am pleased to finally be able to support the adoption of the Federal Aviation Administration conference report. The process that allowed us to get to this point has been unlike any other that I have ever experienced in my 19 years in the…
I want to support the FAA conference report. I think virtually everybody in the Senate would want to do it. It includes a lot of things that are very important to me for West Virginia. West Virginia is not at the center. We are not exactly…
I would like to talk about a different subject, and that is the millions of people who are not working. I think we owe it to the American people to discuss the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs under the economic plans of the…
Today, the Senate is taking bipartisan action to pass the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003, which will extend and improve the adoption bonuses created as part of the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act. For many years, the Senate has taken a…
I am extremely frustrated that the Senate continues this debate, or whatever it is. It is already more than a day. We are dealing with the nominations of a handful of judges. That is not trivial. I understand that. As a Senate, we have a…
Politicians like Jay Rockefeller
