Wednesday, December 7

7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Registration

Transportation Finance:  Rough Road Ahead?
Room:  Williford A, 3^rd floor

Changes in federal funding (SAFETEA-LU) plus requirements for matching funds and escalating state project costs are encouraging innovative state approaches to financing transportation.  This session offers an overview of transportation funding trends at both the federal and state levels.  Participants should come prepared to share their state’s experiences.

(Joint with Fiscal Leaders Seminar)

Jack Basso, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C. 

Transportation Standing Committee Convenes

Welcome, Opening Remarks, and Introductions
Room:  Lake Erie, 8^th floor

Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Washington, Committee Chair
Hal Greer, JLARC, Virginia, Staff Chair 

Briefing on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. 

A State Department official will brief the committee on the pending requirement that Americans have a passport or similar document to return after travel to the Caribbean, Mexico or Canada.

Presiding:
Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Washington

Speaker: 
Frank Moss, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Passport Services, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.

Transportation Permitting:  The committee will examine the role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the context of transportation infrastructure projects.

Remarks:
Senator Bruce Starr, Oregon Representative Sherman Packard, New Hampshire

Invited Speakers:
U.S. Corps of Army Engineers, Washington, D.C.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C.

Highway Safety Programs of SAFETEA-LU and Safe Routes to Schools  

Hear about new initiatives under the federal transportation act including the Highway Safety Improvement Program and traffic safety incentive programs for states.  Also discussed will be the enhanced, $612 million program authorized by SAFETEA-LU for helping states assure safe routes for children to bicycle and walk to schools.

Presiding:  Representative Sherman Packard, New Hampshire

Speakers: 
Michael Harrington, Director of External Affairs, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.
Tim Arnade, Safe Routes to School Program Manager, Federal Highway  Administration, Washington, D.C.

Plenary Session:  The Economic Outlook in an Uncertain Time
Grand Ballroom

The destruction wreaked by Hurricane Katrina has left many economists uncertain about its short- and long-term effects on the nation’s economy—on energy prices, jobs, agricultural commodities and many others. A member of the Chicago Federal Reserve will offer his insights into the country’s economic outlook.

Speaker:  William Strauss, Senior Economist and Economic Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Illinois

Steering Committee Meeting 
Room: Marquette, 3^rd floor

Opening Reception
Normandie Lounge, 2^nd floor

Thursday, December 8

7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Registration

Plenary Breakfast:  Environmental Impacts - Lessons Learned from the Gulf Hurricanes
Grand Ballroom, Lobby level

Speaker: Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

Transportation Standing Committee Convenes  
Room:  Lake Erie, 8^th floor

Transportation Funding

The committee will hear about issues surrounding the purchase of the Chicago Skyway and review and discuss the transportation funding guidebook drafted by the Transportation Funding Partnership Committee. 

Presiding: Senator Bruce Starr, Oregon

Speakers:
Mark Florian, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs, Chicago
Jim Reed and Matt Sundeen, NCSL

Response Panel:  
Carla Perez, Carter & Burgess, Colorado
Susan Perry, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, D.C.
Helen Sramek, AAA, Washington, D.C.

Amtrak Update

Speaker:  Ray Lang, Director, State and Local Government Affairs, Amtrak, Chicago

Working Lunch

Pick up a box lunch and return to the meeting room for the lunch program on aviation.

Federal Aviation Legislation and Funding Topics

Presiding:  Hal Greer, Virginia, Transportation Committee Staff Chair

Speaker:  Henry Ogrodzinski, President, National Association of State Aviation Officials, Maryland

Getting Hardcore Drunk Drivers Off Our Roads

Now that all states have adopted a .08 BAC law, many are going after hardcore drunk drivers, those who are extremely drunk behind the wheel.  Learn what strategies states are using to get hardcore drunk drivers off the road, including high BAC laws, ignition interlocks and mandatory substance abuse treatment.

Presiding:  Senator Thomas Wyss, Indiana

Speakers: 
Bill Georges, Senior Vice President-Programs, The Century Council, Washington, D.C.
Robyn Robertson, Vice President, Operations, Traffic Injury Research Foundation, Ottawa, Ontario
Heidi Coleman, Division Chief, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.
Danielle Roeber, Alcohol Safety programs Coordinator, National Transportation Safety Board, Washington, D.C.

Break 

• REAL ID Update
• Update on Congressional activities

Steering Committee Meeting
Waldorf, 3^rd floor

Reception -- Chicago Art Institute

Friday, December 9

9:00 am - 10:45 pm

Several states are taking innovative steps to respond to the challenges of global competitiveness. At the NCSL annual meeting in Seattle, Bill Gates said “education trumps everything” in this era of a global economy. The nation’s best seller lists are replete with books analyzing the challenges presented by such mega economic players as China and India. This session examines how states and schools are paving the way by enhancing opportunities for international education at all levels.

Business Meeting:  Debate and Voting on Official Policy Statements and Resolutions 
Waldorf, 3^rd floor

Plenary Lunch:  American Politics Chicago Style  Continental Ballroom, Lobby level

Chicago politics is the stuff of mythology. For decades, Americans have been fascinated by the rough and tumble of our prototypical Midwestern city. A long-time observer of the Chicago political scene will explore the history of American politics Chicago style and bring us up-to-date on the latest iterations.

Meeting Adjourns