Tuesday, November 27

7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Main Foyer, Conference Center

Registration

8:00 am - 8:00 pm
McArthur I

Pre-Conference Seminar

Trade Policy Leadership Seminar

See separate agenda available on-line at http://www.ncsl.org/standcomm/sclaborecon/07TPLSagenda.htm.  For more information, contact Jeremy Meadows (202-624-8664).

Wednesday, November 28

7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Main Foyer, Conference Center

Registration

Pre-Conference Seminar

Trade Policy Leadership Seminar

See separate agenda available on-line at http://www.ncsl.org/standcomm/sclaborecon/07TPLSagenda.htm.  For more information, contact Jeremy Meadows (202-624-8664).

Committee / Pre-Conference Working Lunch

NAFTA and the Security & Prosperity Partnership

Joint Session with Trade Policy Leadership Seminar

An outgrowth of the NAFTA, “the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), launched by the leaders of Mexico, Canada and the United States in March 2005, aims to promote growth and economic opportunity, increase security, and improve the quality of life of our peoples” (http://www.spp.gov/).  But what are the SPP’s specific goals?  How does it build on NAFTA?  How does it affect state infrastructure or regulatory regimes?  This session will try to define the SPP and look at implications for states

Presiding: Representative Dan Silva, New Mexico and Chair, Transportation Committee, NCSL

Speakers:
Senator Randy Brogdon, Oklahoma
Birgit Matthiesen, Commercial Officer (Market Access), Canadian Embassy, District of Columbia
Honorable Woody Sutton, Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, District of Columbia (invited)
Consulate-General of Mexico (invited)

Committee / Pre-Conference Session

NAFTA, Trucking, and Cross-Border Movement

Joint Session with Trade Policy Leadership Seminar

NAFTA has increased the flow of goods across America’s northern and southern borders, but efforts by the U.S. Department of Transportation to implement changes to motor carrier limitations along the Mexican border have evoked concerns on Capitol Hill and in many states.  Other obstacles, such as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, have arisen that threaten to impede the cross-border flow of goods and people.  Congestion on the borders and related costs to commerce, environment, and health have also come to the fore.  This session will provide an update on some of these issues and highlight state legislative, regulator, and economic development interests.

Presiding: Representative Linda Harper-Brown, Texas and Vice Chair, Transportation Committee, NCSL

Speakers:
Benoit Cayouette, Transportation Ministry, Quebec
Lenor Montemayor, Assistant Director, Motor Vehicle Division, Department of Transportation, Arizona
Mark W. Shumar, State Coordinator, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, District of Columbia
Suzanne Tebeau, Chief Counsel, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, District of Columbia

Plenary Session

Opening General Session

Dr. Marianne Legato has spent her career studying the health differences between men and women. The founder of the Partnership for Gender-Specific Medicine at Columbia University, she believes that men are equally important and much more neglected in terms of their unique vulnerabilities that women are. Men's lifespan is at least five years shorter than women's, and Dr. Legato is focusing her efforts on why men die first.

Speaker: Dr. Marianne J. Legato, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and the Founder and Director of the Partnership for Gender-Specific Medicine at Columbia University, New York.

Steering Committee Meeting

The Steering Committee is comprised of the Chair and Staff Chair, or their designee, of each Standing Committee and is led by the Steering Committee Officers.  This meeting will preview any policies anticipated for debate in the Standing Committees and make any needed determinations regarding joint and re-referral of the resolutions.

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm 
Gold Room and Patio

Opening Reception - Arizona Biltmore

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association for its sponsorship of this event.

Thursday, November 29

7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Main Foyer, Conference Center

Registration

Plenary Breakfast

General Session on Transportation

Mary Peters, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, brings a unique perspective to her role as the nation’s transportation chief.  She has spent her career working on transportation issues in both the private and public sectors, and has led both federal and state agencies.  She will discuss the nation’s critical transportation needs and how states and the federal government can enhance their partnership.

Presiding: Representative David Clark, Majority Leader, Utah House of Representatives and Chair, Steering Committee of the Standing Committees, NCSL
Laura DeVivo, Senior Policy Advisor to the Speaker, Office of the House Speaker, North Carolina and Staff Chair, Steering Committee of the Standing Committees, NCSL

Speaker: Honorable Mary Peters, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, District of Columbia

Committee Business Meeting

Presiding: Representative Dan Silva, New Mexico and
Chair, Transportation Committee, NCSL

Committee Session

Enhanced Driver’s Licenses

REAL ID has dominated discussions about driver’s licenses for well over a year, but as states have awaited regulations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, it’s not the only driver’s license issue on state legislators’ minds.  Many states have examined ways of improving the card’s security while giving it even more features.  Some states are considering making their licenses ‘mini-passports’ in order to deal with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.  Others are examining ways of turning licenses into credentialing documents for first responders.  This session will provide an update on REAL ID while surveying how several states are changing the uses of their driver’s licenses.

This session may be eligible for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

Speaker: Mike Groesch, Coordinator, Senate Transportation Committee, Washington
Christine Morris, Deputy Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, Wes Virginia (invited)
Representative Russell Pearce, Arizona (invited)
Matt Sundeen, Program Principal, NCSL Transportation Program, Colorado

Speakers: James H. Burch II, Deputy Director for Policy, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, District of Columbia
Vivienne Cameron, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, Virginia

Committee Session

Speakers:
Jennifer W. MacDonald, Director, Government Affairs, Association of American Railroads, District of Columbia
Jeremy F. Plant, School of Public Affairs, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania
Lisa Pena, Counsel, Freight Rail Security Group, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, District of Columbia
American Chemistry Council, Virginia

Committee Session

Roundtable on Infrastructure Financing

Joint with Agriculture, Environment & Energy and Budgets & Revenue Committees and the Women's Legislative Network

The Trust Funds established to build and maintain America’s critical infrastructure are not keeping pace with needs, inflation, or competing demands.  This session will begin with an update from Washington, D.C. on congressional efforts or ideas to shore up these Funds and will then provide a roundtable for legislators to discuss state efforts to ensure America’s infrastructure meets Americans’ needs.

Presiding: Senator Capri Cafaro, Ohio and
Vice Chair, Transportation Committee, NCSL
Representative Deborah Hudson, Delaware and Vice Chair, Budgets & Revenue Committee, NCSL

Speakers:  Jack Basso, Director of Management and Business Development, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, District of Columbia
Steven Brown, Executive Director, Environmental Council of the States, District of Columbia

Steering Committee Meeting

The Steering Committee is comprised of the Chair and Staff Chair, or their designee, of each Standing Committee and is led by the Steering Committee Officers.  This meeting will review any policies adopted in Committee and set the calendars for Friday’s Policy Forum/Business Meeting.

Committee Session

Dialogue with the Government Accountability Office on Rail Security

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been asked by the Congress to study and report back on rail security issues.  Legislators and legislative staff are invited to discuss state-level rail security interests and efforts with two of the GAO investigators.  Participation in this opportunity will be limited to legislators, legislative staff, and NCSL staff.

Frank Lloyd Wright Lawn

Reception - Arizona Biltmore

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of the Schaller Anderson Aetna for sponsorship of this event.

Friday, November 30

7:30 am - 9:00 am
Main Foyer, Conference Center

Registration

General Session

The 21st Century Belongs to China

Speaker: Richard Barth, Assistant Secretary for Real ID Implementation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C.

Policy Forum

Business Meeting 

Forum delegates will debate and vote on NCSL's policy statements and resolutions passed out of the committees. All Forum participants are invited to attend.

Post-Conference Meeting

Surface Transportation Reauthorization Working Group

In anticipation of SAFETEA-LU’s expiration in 2009, NCSL has created a Surface Transportation Reauthorization Working Group to review and revise NCSL’s Surface Transportation policy and to prepare for the next federal transportation authorization bill.  Working Group members are drawn from the NCSL Transportation Committee and will report back to the Committee on efforts, findings, and policy recommendations.  Information on the Working Group is available at http://www.ncsl.org/standcomm/sctran/reauthorizationgroup.htm and members will receive separate agenda information.