Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S.

The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has the broadest jurisdiction of all the 16 standing committees of the U.S. Senate. The committee is in charge of all matters that relate to transportation; interstate commerce; consumer protection; sports; standards and measurements; communications; science, technology, and space; coastal zone management; ocean policy; marine fisheries; weather; and technology research, to name a few. Like the work of other powerful committees, the decisions of this body often make the news.

This Senate committee created in 1816 was among the first substantive standing committees. Traditionally, standing committees have a permanent status and legislative jurisdiction or authority [Page 788]to suggest changes in legislation to the Senate. At the time it was created, this committee was called the Committee on Commerce and Manufacturers. Originally, the new committee was in charge of compiling statistical reports and investigating harbor and canal construction, foreign trade, and both imported and exported merchandise. The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 was one of the most prominent bills approved by this new committee. This act established federal control over railroad rates and services.

Over the years, the committee has been reorganized and renamed several times. For more than two decades, from 1955 to 1977, it was chaired by Senator Warren G. Magnuson, a Washington Democrat who fought for automobile safety standards. The committee spent most of the late 1970s and 1980s deregulating the airlines and the trucking industry. In the late 1980s, under Senator John C. Danforth, a Missouri Republican, the committee focused on highway safety by promoting a uniform system of licensing for truck and bus drivers. To keep up with technological advances in the 1990s, the committee changed its focus to supporting legislation related to changes in the telecommunications industry. For instance, the committee revised regulation of the telephone, broadcast, and print industries. After the rates for cable television skyrocketed in the late 1980s and the public complained to Congress, the committee helped Congress reinstate price regulations on cable television rates with the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992.

Traditionally, almost every relevant piece of legislation introduced in the Senate is sent to a related committee for review. For instance, if Congress has to review the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) budget request, and the lawmakers will need to tackle a legislative proposal (bill) to revise and extend NASA activities, that bill will be referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

The committee consists of several subcommittees that assist the full committee with specific tasks within their jurisdiction. In 2009 to 2010, these subcommittees included Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security; Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety; Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism; Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard; Science, Technology, and Innovation; Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies; and Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security.

After considering a bill, the committee and its subcommittees examine information from noncom-mittee experts. Typically they request written proposals from executive agencies and hold hearings. Congressional hearings include oral testimonies about the pros and cons of the matter and questioning of the witnesses by members of Congress. During hearings, those who support and those who oppose a legislative act (or measure) have an opportunity to express their views. For example, a representative of Motorola could emphasize the importance of improving public safety and first emergency response through new technologies and wireless communications. A union leader could raise concerns about railroad safety and suggest an increase in fines against railroads that violate safety rules. And a chief executive officer (CEO) of the Motion Picture Association of America could testify as to whether the existing ratings systems for video games, television, and movies accurately evaluate how appropriate they are for children.

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