WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) chairman of the Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security Subcommittee, will convene a Commerce Committee field hearing titled “Keeping Goods Moving in America’s Heartland.” It will take place on Monday, May 2, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. MT / 12:00 p.m. ET at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. 

Last year, Congress approved a significant 5 year highway bill, known as the FAST Act. The bill was signed into law by the president on December 4, 2015. Senator Fischer was appointed to the highway bill conference committee and played a key role in both drafting the bill and advocating for its passage in the Senate last summer. 

The FAST Act included provisions to improve our nation’s infrastructure and establish a strategic national freight policy. Senator Fischer’s field hearing will focus on the impact of freight transportation on rural economies, the implementation of the FAST Act, and ways to strengthen local and regional transportation networks.

This will be the third U.S. Senate field hearing hosted by Senator Fischer in Nebraska. In March of 2015, she hosted a hearing of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee in Lincoln, where Nebraskans testified about the impact of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “waters of the United States” rule. In September of 2015, she hosted a second hearing of the EPW Committee in Columbus. That hearing focused on the impact of the EPA’s proposed rule to lower the ozone standard.

In addition to the hearing, members of the media are invited to a post-hearing media availability where Senator Fischer will be on hand to answer questions.