Luján Secures Amendments to Strengthen Public Safety During Extreme Weather Events, Crack Down on Illegal Robocalls Through Commerce Committee Markup

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, secured the successful passage of two amendments through the Senate Commerce Committee as part of the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025 and Foreign Robocall Elimination Act. Both bills were reported favorably out of the Senate Commerce Committee.

"This week, I was proud to have secured two key amendments to protect Americans through the Senate Commerce Committee's work on vital pieces of legislation," said Senator Luján. "My amendment to the PIPELINE Safety Act will ensure that our nation's pipelines are reliable and safe during extreme weather, while my amendment to the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act will combat illegal robocalls and ensure scammers face real vetting. These two pieces of legislation will better protect Americans, and I am glad to see them advance to the full Senate."

Amendment to PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025:

WATCH: Senator Luján's Remarks on his Amendment

As a part of the PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025, Senator Luján secured an amendment to ensure that owners and operators of natural gas pipelines are protecting their infrastructure against the effects of extreme weather events to ensure public safety. The amendment directs the Secretary of Transportation to complete a study on extreme weather events, including Winter Storm Uri that impacted New Mexico in February 2021 to determine how pipeline failures can be prevented in extreme cold. The Secretary will then be required to review Distribution Implementation Management Plans to ensure pipeline operators are protecting their infrastructure from failures in extreme cold. Winter Storm Uri in 2021 caused widespread natural gas wellhead freeze-offs and supply failures across Texas, New Mexico, and the Southwest, leading to massive power outages, skyrocketing energy prices, and contributing to over 200 deaths from cold exposure and related causes.

The PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025, a bipartisan pipeline safety reauthorization bill, reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's (PHMSA) pipeline safety program and helps prevent accidents before they occur.

Amendment to Foreign Robocall Elimination Act:

As a part of the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act, Senator Luján, in partnership with Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), secured an amendment that would impose financial penalties on robocall scammers. Currently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires voice service providers to file certifications in the Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD) regarding their efforts to fight illegal robocalls on their networks. However, bad actors often create domestic corporations and register and easily re-register on the RMD at little cost. Senator Luján's amendment would require providers, with certain exceptions, to post a bond up to $100,000 to register with the RMD, thus filers would be vetted by a third party with an economic incentive to verify that the filer is a real company that is subject to the laws of the United States.

The Foreign Robocall Elimination Act is bipartisan legislation that works to eliminate unlawful robocalls originating abroad and prevent them from targeting Americans at home by bringing together public and private sector experts.

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