Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison named Commerce Committee Ranking Member

In the wake of the indictment of now former Senate Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Sen Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) will assume the role. "I am honored to temporarily step-in for Senator Stevens as Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee while the legal process works itself out," said Senator Hutchison. "Ted served our country heroically in World War II and is a tireless advocate for his state. I have every expectation that Senator Stevens will return to his role as Ranking Member in the future." Sen Hutchison has been a defender of the cable industry from what some perceived as Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's heavy regulatory hand. She pushed for giving the FCC the authority to regulate violence and for allowing TV stations on the border with Mexico to continue broadcasting in analog after February 2009.