Assignments may change, but Jay Rockefeller will remain a strong voice in the U.S. Senate.

The Democrat from West Virginia appears poised to take over as chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee. Rockefeller is currently the most senior member of the panel. Its outgoing chairman, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, was tapped to replace Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., as head of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Rockefeller has said he would remain a member of the Intelligence, Veterans Affairs and Finance committees.

Health care remains a top concern for Rockefeller. He has pointed out that currently 46 million Americans — including more than 8 million children and 2 million veterans — are uninsured.

“I have been working on health-care policy for more than 25 years, and I have never been more hopeful about the prospects for reform — nor more convinced about the overwhelming need for reform — than I am now,” Rockefeller said.

“Health care has become an enormous and unsustainable burden for families, businesses and the economy as a whole. It is long past time for the federal government to make the investment necessary to make health care accessible and affordable for all Americans — not in spite of the current economic crisis, but because of it.”

The senator’s priorities are increased coverage and affordability, improved quality and elimination of unnecessary health-care spending.

Rockefeller is confident health care for children will be quickly addressed when the new Congress convenes.

“We can cover 4 million more uninsured children immediately by reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) early next year. There is a bipartisan, consensus bill that’s ready to go — CHIP as a first step would send an important message to the nation that their health care is a top priority,” he said.

Commerce Committee work affects virtually everyone in the country. The committee oversees issues including communications, highways, sports, aviation, shipping, transportation security, the Coast Guard, space, interstate commerce, tourism, technology and economic development. It has oversight authority over several industries.

CNET News reports that Rockefeller would assume responsibility for congressional oversight of February’s digital television (DTV) transition.

There is evidence backing up this point. Thursday evening, the Senate passed Rockefeller’s consumer protection bill — The Short-Term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act. The measure preserves access to critical emergency information for millions of Americans at risk of losing their over-the-air television signal during DTV transition.

The act would make sure that those consumers who fail to make the switch to DTV by Feb. 17, 2009, are not left behind without access to emergency information. The bill also permits a 30-day continuation of analog signals to help educate those consumers to understand what steps they need to take in order to restore their television signals.

In the past, the Charleston Daily Mail reported, Rockefeller co-authored the law subsidizing Internet access at schools and libraries in the 1990s. He has also pushed legislation that gives tax credits to companies offering high-speed Internet access in rural areas, and has been an adamant supporter of blanketing West Virginia with broadband availability.

Dow Jones Newswires reports Rockefeller may also push phone, cable and Internet companies to keep subscriber rates down.

Rockefeller has strongly pursued international trade in an effort to bolster domestic business. The Daily Mail reported that last week the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry honored Rockefeller with an “Eagle on the World” award for his trade efforts.

He has hosted five trade missions to Japan, resulting in nearly $2 billion in investments across the state from 20 Japanese companies. Rockefeller was also instrumental in Toyota’s $1 billion investment in its Buffalo plant, which employs 1,500 workers.

Rockefeller has a history of working hard to help make life better for all Americans. His position in the Senate has him in position to remain a powerful voice for years to come.