{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=7ec78e17-c838-4352-a030-8f3c69acba6b", "Heller Makes Road Safety in Nevada a Priority by Calling for Flexibility in Safe-Driving Legislation", "2014-09-16", "2014", "2014-09", "Republican", "House", "NV", "Dean Heller", "H001041", "www.heller.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "(Washington, DC) \u2013 Today, United States Senator Dean Heller spoke at the Senate Commerce Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance Subcommittee hearing, \u201cOversight of and Policy Considerations for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,\u201d about the importance of states individually deciding what legislation is necessary to improve safety on the roads. Specifically in Nevada, Heller cited growth within the state on I-11 is a priority in keeping the roads safe with the opening of the Tesla Gigafactory.\r\nREMARKS AS PREPARED:\r\nGood afternoon, thank you Chairman McCaskill for calling this hearing today.\u00a0 I appreciate our witnesses being here and I look forward to this important discussion on NHTSA and its progress in implementing various requirements under MAP-21.\r\nNHTSA plays a vital role in ensuring the highest standards in motor vehicles and highway safety so that we are continually working toward preventing crashes and keeping motorists safe.\r\nI think it goes without saying both the Chairman and I have been very interested in the process at NHTSA, especially in light of the General Motors recall.\u00a0 As it relates to NHTSA, we have paid close attention to what information NHTSA was able to obtain from the car company, what it did with it, and what its role was in the delay to get these cars recalled.\r\nAfter multiple hearings, I have come to the conclusion that General Motors bears the majority of the blame. NHTSA cannot be effective when auto manufacturers withhold information.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nGeneral Motors has admitted that they did not fully understand how their vehicles were built which led to a decade long delay to understand the root cause of the air bag non-deployment was an ignition switch that slipped from run to accessory too easily.\u00a0\r\nHowever, NHTSA could have performed better.\u00a0 Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans released a staff report this morning that finds among other things, that NHTSA is struggling to keep pace with the industry it oversees.\u00a0\r\nThis is not a new problem.\u00a0 As some of you may know, in 2009, NHTSA was forced to enlist the help of NASA to supplement its understanding of computer-controlled electronic systems, electromagnetic interference, and software integrity as they relate to unintended acceleration.\u00a0\r\nI hope we can use today\u2019s hearing to identify areas for improvement at NHTSA, including its internal process for identifying issues and connecting the dots.\u00a0\r\nI am also concerned the President has not filled the vacancy for the position of Administrator at NHTSA.\u00a0 The task of addressing any shortcomings at the agency and implementing any necessary improvements may be challenging for a deputy Administrator without the endorsement of the President\u2019s nomination and the Senate\u2019s confirmation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\r\nThis is all very important for highway safety across America, but NHTSA\u00a0 is also becoming more important for the for the state of Nevada.\r\nMadame Chairman, you may have heard TESLA has selected Nevada for its Gigafactory.\r\nI was proud to help bring TESLA to Nevada. The jobs it will create coupled with the economic boom it will cause in the state are both welcomed benefits of this massive investment.\r\nThis factory will bring over 6500 direct, high-paying jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact. This project will increase the employment in the region by more than 20%.\r\nThe facility will be one of the largest in the world with five million square feet of the factory devoted to battery manufacturing. This makes Nevada the epicenter of clean vehicle technology.\r\nAll of this means Nevada is growing.\u00a0 With that growth, we will need the necessary infrastructure to move people around safely and efficiently.\r\nThat is why I am also working on extending Interstate 11 beyond Las Vegas to the northwest part of the state.\u00a0\r\nAnd, it is also why I have such an interest in the programs NHTSA administers.\r\nNevada is going to need flexibility to address the specific state needs and challenges, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses \u2013 in particular, from the Governors State Highway Safety Association \u2013 on how best to allocate federal funds to maximize state flexibility without compromising national safety priorities.\r\nNevada was one of the leading states to develop a Strategic Highway Safety Plan even before it was required by law because Nevada\u2019s highway safety goal is simple: zero fatalities.\r\nNevada has emphasized five critical areas for reduction of fatal and serious injury crashes that center on:\r\n1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lane departures \u2013 the majority of rural roadway fatalities in Nevada are from lane departures.\r\n2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pedestrians\r\n3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Impaired Drivers\r\n4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Occupant Protection\r\n5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Intersections\r\nMy point in explaining this is that other states may have critical areas and that states may want to allocate funding differently than Nevada.\r\nAs we work toward a reauthorization of NHTSA, I want the record to note how different each state is. Therefore, we need a plan flexible enough so each state can come up with a strategy best suited for each individual state to achieve its goal of zero fatalities on the road.\r\nThank you Chairman McCaskill.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/videos?ContentRecord_id=7ec78e17-c838-4352-a030-8f3c69acba6b"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9710513986647129, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}