As expected, the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday voted to approve former Washington State Governor Gary Locke as the next Secretary of Commerce.
He will inherit oversight of the ongoing DTV transition converter box coupon program and handing out $4.7 billion in economic stimulus grant money.
The full Senate still needs to approve the nomination, but that is essentially pro forma after the committee's unanimous approval.
“I am pleased to see Governor Gary Locke’s confirmation move forward to be our nation’s 36th Secretary of Commerce. I urge quick action by the full Senate," said Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WVA) in a statement. "The American people deserve to know that the person working with Congress and this committee every day, to determine the best way to reboot this economy, is a person who – simply put – gets it. He understands what is happening on Main Street and he is a man with his finger on the pulse of what direction America must head toward in generations to come.”
