Why it matters:

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a business meeting on September 16, 2026, to consider 10 pieces of legislation. The meeting was a markup, not a fact-finding or investigative hearing, and the record identifies no witnesses.

The hearing record shows formal action, including motions being agreed to and bills ordered reported favorably. It does not show that the bills were enacted into law.

The big picture:

The meeting took place at 2 p.m. in Room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building. Sen. Ted Cruz chaired the committee, while Maria Cantwell served as ranking member.

The agenda covered fishing, aviation, sports, telecommunications and technology. Bills addressed offshore aquaculture, pool and spa safety, air-traffic-control equipment, Great Lakes coordination, professional boxing, emergency alerts and communications technology.

The committee considered S. 4749, the JAWBONE Act. The measure would create a federal cause of action addressing government jawboning and require transparency around government requests to censor speech.

What they’re saying:

He said the fisheries measure would establish “gear-performance standards” for mid-water and bottom-trawl vessels.

The record says Cruz commended Sen. Dan Sullivan’s leadership on the fisheries measure. It also says Cruz introduced the JAWBONE Act with Sen. Ron Wyden.

Political stakes:

The committee considered S. 4938, which would reduce trawl-gear impacts on bycatch and seafloor habitat in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. The bill would establish gear-performance standards, seafloor-contact detection and salmon-excluder requirements.

S. 2586, the Marine Aquaculture Research for America Act, would direct NOAA to establish commercial-scale offshore aquaculture demonstration projects.

The JAWBONE Act would create a private right of action for coercive government threats directed at broadcasters, social-media companies or similar technology companies. It would also provide public visibility into government directions to platforms over specific content actions.

The bottom line:

The committee completed a 10-bill markup spanning several policy areas, with formal action recorded but no enactment shown.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article