Congressional Strategy
Upon declaring his retirement, Senator Rockefeller has spent comparatively less time in West Virginia in 2013 than at other times in his career especially the last campaign season when Democrats were largely unpopular in the state (this information comes from tracking his press releases and twitter which are public acknowledgements from his office of his whereabouts and public appearances). Since his family home and permanent residence is in Washington DC, this would be a logical trend since he is much less beholden to the people of West Virginia, no longer needing their vote to maintain his position. Less harshly, he is an older man and travel may be difficult.
Throughout his career, Senator Rockefeller has created weekly video segments creatively titled "A Minute with Jay". He releases these both on his Facebook page and his You Tube channel. In January one of his chat segments dealt specifically with his out look for his final term in the Senate (see the video below). In the video, he outlines eight issue points including: 1) Create and save jobs in West Virginia and boost the state’s economy, 2) Fulfill the promise of affordable health care for all West Virginians, 3) Protect workers’ safety and benefits. 4) Use our energy resources safely and effectively, 5) Make sure all our schools and libraries have access to the most up to date technologies, 6) Protect veterans’ benefits, health care, and education, 7) Protect consumer information and strengthen privacy protections on the Internet, and 8) Expose consumer abuses and government waste, and stop them.
In order to reach these goals he proposes a number of actions including: tax credits, safety-net programs, pipeline safety and clean energy initiatives (important due to his position on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee), E-rate school internet programs, improving cyber-security regulation, and cracking down on health insurance marketing and business practices.
A Minute with Jay: My Plans for the Future
Recent press releases, mailings, and video segments from Senator Rockefeller deal with four issues that are particularly important to him and his career - the Violence Against Women Act, retirement benefits and healthcare particularly for
retired miners, reducing prescription drug addiction (An
estimated 150,000 West Virginians need treatment for addiction each year which is much
higher than the national average), and national pipeline infrastructure (see his committee's press release on the pipeline issue here).
The issues addressed in his video and press releases are indicative of the bills he has sponsored and co-sponsored. According to the Library of Congress Thomas Database, Rockefeller has introduced nine and co-sponsored eighteen bills in the Senate in 2013. His bills deal with cyber regulation, prescription drug addition, retirement benefit extensions for miners, tax reformation, and fishery standards. All are currently sitting in committee with no indication from his social media sites or press releases that movement will be taking place in the near future. Of the bills he's co-sponsored, the majority have been introduces by Senator Harry Reid and/or deal with social issues such as gun regulation, student debt, private loan and banking controls, mental health legislation, and job creation bills. You can view the Senator's full voting record here or a synopsis of key votes put together by the Washington Post here.
Sources:
https://twitter.com/search?q=jay%20rockefeller&src=typd
http://www.rockefeller.senate.
http://www.rockefeller.senate.
http://www.rockefeller.senate.
http://www.rockefeller.senate.
http://www.rockefeller.senate.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/r000361/
https://www.facebook.com/SenRockefeller?ref=ts&fref=ts
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