Thursday, April 6

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Transportation Focus Groups
(By Invitation, staff contact:  Matt Sundeen)

Meeting Registration

Transportation Standing Committee Convenes
Room: Lexington/Bunker Hill

Welcome, Opening Remarks, and Introductions

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

Environmental Permitting for Transportation Projects

The committee will examine the role of the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the context of developing transportation infrastructure projects and hear about environmental streamlining initiatives for transportation infrastructure.

Presiding: Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Washington

Speakers: Mark Sudol, Chief of Regulatory Programs, U.S. Corps of Army Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Fred Skaer, Director of the Office of Project Development and Environmental Review, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.

Traffic Safety Programs of SAFETEA-LU

Hear about new initiatives under the federal transportation act including traffic safety incentive programs for states. 

Speakers:  Michael Harrington, Director of External Affairs, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.
Marlene Markinson, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm 

Steering Committee Meeting
Room: Columbia B

Opening Reception at the Hyatt Regency 
Room: Ticonderoga/Yorktown

Friday, April 7

7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Registration

Plenary Breakfast 

General Session Breakfast – The Administration’s Domestic Priorities
Room: Regency A

 The Honorable Michael Leavitt, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

Major changes made in the past few months to Medicaid, Medicare and welfare are of compelling interest to state legislatures. Secretary Leavitt, former governor of Utah, will provide an update on how the Department of Health and Human Services is implementing these critical state-federal programs.

Transportation Standing Committee Convenes
Room: Columbia Foyer

Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety
(Joint with High-Level Radioactive Waste Working Group and Native American Legislators Caucus)

The regulatory structure for radioactive and hazardous materials transportation safety will be discussed. Outreach to Indian tribes that may affected by  radioactive waste shipments in the future will be described as well.

Speakers: Todd B. Tatelman, Legislative Attorney, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Judith Holm, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Washington, D.C.

REAL ID Update and Roundtable Discussion

Draft rules to implement REAL-ID, which creates new federal driver's license standards, are expected by late Spring or early Summer 2006.  The committee will hear an update from NCSL's staff participant in rulemaking discussions and discuss state implementation issues.

Presiding:  Representative Sherman Packard, New Hampshire

Speaker:  Molly Ramsdell, NCSL Washington, D.C. Office

Committee Discussion

Reducing the Number of Uninsured Motorists 
(Joint with Financial Services Committee)

Working Lunch -- Box Lunches Available

States continue to grapple with the issue of uninsured motorists.  The number of uninsured motorists on the road has been estimated as high as 20 percent.  This session will examine how states and insurance companies are attempting to reduce the number of uninsured drivers.

Moderator: Senator Ruth Teichman, Kansas

Speakers: Jim Whittle, American Insurance Association, Washington, D.C.
Libby Clapp, Chief Information Officer, Department of Motor Vehicles, Washington, D.C.
Corey Buffo, General Counsel, Department of Motor Vehicles, Washington, D.C.

Federal Transportation Funding

Federal transportation funding highlights from SAFETEA-LU will be discussed by a senior U.S. Department of Transportation official. 

Presiding: Senator Bruce Starr, Oregon

Speakers:  U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.
Joe Morris, Senior Program Officer, Transporation Research Board, Washington, D.C.

Refreshment Break (Refreshments available in meeting room)

Transportation Funding Update and Roundtable Discussion

Findings from the new state transportation funding guidebook drafted by the NCSL staff in consultation with the Transportation Funding Partnership Committee will be presented and copies of the guidebook will be distributed. 

Speakers:  Matt Sundeen and Jim Reed, NCSL staff, Denver Office.

Comments from Committee members and interested parties.

Federal Update and Transportation Issues Roundtable

Speakers:  Gerri Madrid-Davis, NCSL on federal issues, Washington, D.C. Office.

Committee member discussion.

Steering Committee Meeting
Room: Columbia B

Reception at the National Museum of the American Indian (Ride the Bus)

Saturday, April 8

8:00 am - 1:30 pm

Registration

8:30 am - 10:30 am

Policy Forum:  Debate and Voting on Official Policy Statements and Resolutions
Room: Ticonderoga

Plenary Lunch  

America's Fiscal Future
Room: Regency A

Decisions made day by day in Washington determine the country's long-term fiscal future, and have a direct effect on the integrity of state budgets.  David Walker, Comptroller-General of the United States and director of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, will discuss the growing imbalance between expected federal tax revenues and spending. 

Meeting Adjourns