7:30-8:00 a.m.

(Capitol Room)

8:00-9:00 a.m.

(Capitol Room)

Opening remarks: Rep. Mike Krusee, Texas, Chair of the NCSL Transportation Committee

Topic: Traffic Safety

9:00-10:30 a.m.

(Capitol Room)

Unintentional injury from motor vehicle crashes is the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. This session will address Graduated Driver's Licensing laws for teens and the latest about passenger restrictions, nighttime driving restrictions and other policies to help keep teen drivers safe.

10:30-10:45 a.m.

Break

10:45-11:50 a.m.

(Capitol Room)

By 2020, more than 50 million people over the age of 65 will be living in the United States--one out of every six people, according to the United States Department of Transportation. Although licensed older drivers have fewer crashes compared with the total population, they have higher fatal accident rates per miles driven. Hear from the experts on older drivers and possible solutions to this potential traffic safety dilemma.

11:50 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Runge, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

1:15-2:45 p.m.

(Capitol Room)

More than 40,000 people are killed each year in motor vehicle crashes. Safety belts, air bags and child car seats are a few ways to decrease the risk of fatal injuries from crashes. This session will provide the latest information on state laws regarding occupant protection and other policy options to address this traffic safety problem.

2:45-4:15 p.m.

(Capitol Room)

Aggressive driving, road rage, unlicensed drivers, even distracted drivers all play a part in the high number of motor vehicle crashes and lives lost each year. Hear about the latest ways states and transportation researchers are trying to combat these risky drivers.

Speakers:

• Earl Hardy, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C (Agg. Driving)
• Robyn Robertson, Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Ottawa, Ontario (Drunk Driving)
• Matt Sundeen, NCSL, Colorado (Distracted Driving)
• Kathryn Swanson, Governors' Highway Safety Association, Washington, D.C.

4:15-5:30 p.m.

(Capitol Room)

Each year, 7.8 million large trucks travel more than 207 billion miles on America's roads. This session focuses on state and federal efforts to improve commercial vehicle safety on our highways.

5:45-7:00

(Yorktown)

7:30-8:00 a.m.

(Columbia A/B)

8:00-9:30 a.m.

(Joint Program with Fiscal Leaders Seminar)

(Columbia A/B)

This interactive session is designed to help committee chairs increase their knowledge and improve their skills relating to planning and organizing the work of the committee and running an effective committee meeting. The session has a fiscal and transportation focus, providing case studies for participants on current critical and complex issues. The session will be valuable for new or experienced committee chairs, as the faculty and participants will often have different views on how to prepare the committee to do its work, run an effective meeting or build consensus.

Speaker: Bruce Feustel, NCSL, Colorado

9:30-9:45 a.m.

Break

9:45-11:30 a.m.

(Capitol Room)

Topic: Transportation Challenges for Policymakers: The Role of Transportation Research

Join your colleagues at the Transportation Leaders Roundtable to share ideas about current transportation trends, your state's priorities and policy innovations.

11:45-1:15 p.m.

(Joint with Fiscal Leaders Seminar, Transportation Standing Committee, Budget and Revenue Committee, Environment Committee)

(Columbia A/B)

Presiding: NCSL President Martin Stephens, Utah

1:30-2:45 p.m.

(Joint Program with NCSL Transportation Standing Committee. Offered also to NCSL Budget and Revenue Standing Committee and Fiscal Leaders Seminar)

(Columbia A/B)

The massive $218 billion federal surface transportation program expired on Sept. 30, 2003. Although Congress has passed a transportation funding extension, it soon will need to consider options for a new bill that will be the most significant federal transportation legislation to affect the states over the next five years. In a time of budget pressure and terrorism concerns, will Congress expand its financial commitment to improve traffic safety, reduce traffic congestion and enhance transit? What are states seeking in the reauthorization process? This session will feature the status and latest information about the reauthorization of TEA-21.

3:00-3:45 p.m.

(Joint with the NCSL Transportation Standing Committee, Fiscal Leaders Seminar and NCSL Budgets & Revenue Committee)

(Columbia A/B)

This session will provide information from NCSL's latest survey on state budgets. Have budget gaps opened since the beginning of the fiscal year? What's the news on state revenue performance? The session also will explore recent federal budget actions that will affect state finances.

Marcia Howard, Director, Federal Funds Information for States, Washington, D.C.

4:00-5:00 p.m.

Fall Forum Opening Plenary Program

5:15-6:00 p.m.

Steering Committee (Committee Chairs or Designees)

6:15-7:15 p.m.

Opening Reception

8:00-9:30 a.m.

What's on the mind of voters in these tight fiscal times? Two prominent pollsters discuss their findings on national and state issues and funding priorities.

9:45-10:00 a.m.

(Valley Forge Room)

Committee Introductions

10:00-11:00am

11:00-11:45 a.m.

Presiding: Representative Mike Krusee, Texas

Topic: Motor Carrier Regulation

11:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Break-- Box Lunches Available

12:00-1:45 p.m.

Followed by committee discussion on transportation financing issues

1:45-2:15 p.m.

Topic: Remote Control Locomotives

2:15-2:30 p.m.

Break

2:30-4:00 p.m.

The committee will hear presentations on passenger rail legislation pending in Congress, freight rail issues, and the possibility of moving rail lines out of center cities to free them up for passenger traffic and transit.

4:00-5:00 p.m.

Public interest in transit continues to rise even as revenues for new transit investment have yet to rebound from the economic downturn. FTA Administrator Jennifer Dorn advocates the economic benefits of transit and public transportation. She joins the Committee to discuss the present and future of transit in America.

Speaker: Jennifer Dorn, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, D.C.

5:15-6:00 p.m.

Steering Committee (Committee Chairs or Designees)

6:15-7:30 p.m.

Reception-U.S. State Department