News Releases
Hoeven: Bill to Avert Flood Insurance Rate Increases, Retain Basement Exception Provision Pending in Senate
GRAFTON, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today told a gathering of community and business leaders in Grafton that the first piece of legislation the Senate plans to take up when it returns on January 27 is a bill he is cosponsoring that would delay scheduled increases in flood insurance premiums. Also included in the legislation is the Hoeven-Heitkamp Flood Safe Basements Act, a measure Hoeven authored to make sure homeowners receive credit for floodproofed basements when flood insurance rates are de… Continue Reading
01.23.14
Hoeven Touts Permanent Flexibility in School Lunch Program at Century Elementary
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today joined students, school officials and school nutritionists for lunch at Century Elementary to discuss new permanent changes to the school lunch program that provide schools with greater flexibility to meet students' individual needs. In response to legislation authored by Senator Hoeven, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently agreed to make permanent modifications to strict rules for serving grains, starches and proteins in school meals. … Continue Reading
01.23.14
Hoeven: NTSB, Canadian TSB Issue Recommendations to Improve Rail Tank Car Safety
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today spoke with National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Administrator Deborah Hersman and was notified of new recommendations the agency is making to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) to improve rail tanker car safety. The NTSB recommendations were issued jointly with the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, (CNTSB) and include the following: Shippers and railways must have th… Continue Reading
01.23.14
Hoeven Hosts Roundtable with North Dakota UAS Leaders to Continue Advancing State's Growing UAS Industry
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today convened a roundtable with North Dakota's unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry leaders to continue work to advance the UAS industry in North Dakota. The leaders are working to build Grand Forks into a premier hub for UAS development in the nation. In late December, Grand Forks was designated one of six pilot test sites for integrating UAS into the nation's airspace. The senator introduced language in the 2012 Federal Aviation Administration's reaut… Continue Reading
01.22.14
Hoeven Highlights Minot Air Base's Critical Defense Role in Minot Meeting with New Air Force Secretary James
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today welcomed the newly confirmed Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James, to help highlight the importance of Minot Air Force Base and its strong role in the nation's nuclear triad of missiles, bombers and nuclear-armed submarines. "We wanted Secretary James to see the critical role that Minot Air Force base plays in our nation's defense and how important it is that they have the infrastructure and resources they need to fulfill their missions for our c… Continue Reading
01.22.14
Hoeven Presents NDSU Football Team with Senate Resolution to Honor Championship Season
FARGO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today presented the NCAA Division I National Championship North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison football team with a Senate resolution honoring their championship season. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the resolution, introduced by Senators Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp, which recognizes the hard work and accomplishments of the NDSU coaches and players and the support of the NDSU alumni and fans. "It is a pleasure to present the NDSU Bison with a copy of a… Continue Reading
01.22.14
Hoeven Tours New Research and Development Facility at NDSU
FARGO, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today toured the new addition to the Research 1 building at the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Research and Technology Park. The $9 million, 35,000 square foot addition supports the park's efforts to partner NDSU, private industry and state and federal government to develop and commercialize new technology. The new space will provide flexible laboratory space for companies conducting advanced coatings and manufacturing research, such as Caterpillar Reman D… Continue Reading
01.22.14
Hoeven Briefs Air Force Sec. James on His Legislation to Fix Military Pension COLA Reductions
MINOT, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today briefed newly confirmed Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James about legislation he and colleagues have introduced to fix the reduction in the military retiree cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) that was included in the recent budget agreement. Hoeven and Republican colleagues last week introduced the Responsible Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014, legislation that will repeal the unfair Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) reduction and extend Emer… Continue Reading
01.17.14
Hoeven, Heitkamp: Senate Passes Resolution Commending National Championship NDSU Football Team
Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp today announced that the Senate has unanimously passed a resolution they authored to honor the NCAA Division I National Championship North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison on its winning season. The resolution recognizes the hard work and accomplishments of the NDSU coaches and players as well as the support of the NDSU alumni and fans. "The Bison had another tremendous season that culminated with their third consecutive national championship," said H… Continue Reading
01.17.14
Hoeven Encourages North Dakota Students to Apply for Library of Congress Fellowship
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Library of Congress is currently accepting nominations from college and graduate students interested in participating in the Library of Congress Junior Fellows Summer Intern program. The senator encourages students interested in library work, exploring key parts of the Library's special format collections, and working directly with Library of Congress curators and specialists to apply for this internship. "The Library of Congress Junior … Continue Reading
01.16.14
Hoeven, Heller, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Fix Military Pension COLA Reductions
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven and Republican colleagues today introduced the Responsible Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014, legislation that will repeal the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) reduction for military retirees that was included in the recent budget agreement. The measure also includes an offset for a three-month extension of temporary long-term unemployment benefits and averts payment reductions for Medicare providers. The measure would repeal cuts to military retir… Continue Reading
01.16.14
Hoeven Statement on Fiscal Year 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven, who serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that both the U.S. Senate and House have approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act, a bipartisan agreement that will fund the U.S. federal government through 2014. The legislation now goes to the president for signature. The legislation is the result of extensive bipartisan and bicameral negotiations and compromise. The measure sets discretionary spending levels $164 billion below the 20… Continue Reading
01.16.14
Hoeven, Heitkamp, Cramer Meet with DOT Sec. FOxx, PHMSA Admin. Quarterman, Industry Leaders to Improve Railway Safety
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Kevin Cramer met today with Transportation Department officials, railroad industry executives and shippers, specifically the oil industry, to follow up on a meeting last week on railway transportation safety. The delegation again met with Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) head Cynthia Quarterman, Federal Railroad Administration head Joseph C. Sza… Continue Reading
01.15.14
Hoeven Meets with Canadian Foreign Minister, Ambassador to Continue Push for Keystone XL Pipeline
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today met with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird and Canadian Ambassador to the United States Gary Doer to continue pressing for presidential approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The Canadian leaders were in Washington to build relations with U.S. leaders and to press for support of the job-creating pipeline project in light of the State Department's forthcoming release of a final environmental impact statement (EIS). "Canada is one of our greatest friends a… Continue Reading
01.15.14
Hoeven: DOT Must Issue Timely Standards on Tanker Car Construction
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement in response to the Department of Transportation's disclosure today that it will not finalize rules governing the construction of rail tanker cars until sometime after January 2015: "The DOT today indicated it will not finalize rules governing the construction of new rail tanker cars until sometime after January 2015. We are concerned that unless DOT provides guidance sooner, the timeline will be too long for industry to trans… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Hoeven, Klobuchar Introduce Driver Privacy Act
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today introduced their Driver Privacy Act, legislation that protects a driver's personal privacy by making it clear that the owner of a vehicle is also the owner of any information collected by an Event Data Recorder (EDR). An EDR has the ability to continuously collect at least 45 pieces of information about a vehicle's operation that can be retrieved at any time. This includes direction, speed, seatbelt usage and other dat… Continue Reading
01.14.14
Omnibus Appropriations Bill Includes North Dakota Priorities for Global Hawk, Missile Silos
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Fiscal Year 2014 omnibus bill includes provisions to maintain Global Hawk and missile silos, two important North Dakota priorities. "North Dakota's two air bases have long served an important role defending our nation's security, and maintaining the strength of these bases remains a top priority," said Hoeven. "The bipartisan omnibus bill includes important provisions that will help maintain the important work taking place in Grand Forks… Continue Reading
01.13.14
Hoeven Visits North Dakota Guard Members Deployed to Mission in Nation's Capital
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven today met with members of the North Dakota Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery regiment, who are currently deployed on a mission to Washington, DC. Hoeven saw firsthand the unit performing its mission to defend the airspace in the national capital region and expressed his support and gratitude for the guard members during the year-long deployment. "The skies over our nation's capital are in good hands with the 188th," Hoeven said. "T… Continue Reading
01.13.14
Hoeven Statement on the NTSB's Preliminary Report on the Casselton Derailment
WASHINGTON - Senator John Hoeven made the following statement in response to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) preliminary report on the Casselton, N.D. derailment. "We have reviewed the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report, but we will need the NTSB's full report and any recommendations they make to enhance rail transportation safety. "Thankfully, no one was hurt, but this accident underscores the need to work to prevent derailments in the first place… Continue Reading
01.09.14
Hoeven, Heitkamp Meet with DOT Sec. Anthony Foxx, PHMSA Administrator Cynthia Quarterman on Railway Safety
WASHINGTON - Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp today met with Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) head Cynthia Quarterman to discuss steps the DOT is taking to improve railway transportation safety and to follow up on a letter Hoeven wrote a year ago asking Quarterman to expedite rules governing construction of new, safer tanker cars. Congressman Kevin Cramer was represented at the meeting by a staff member.… Continue Reading
