Former Senator Slade Gorton and the Bipartisan Policy Center to Call for Transportation Policy Reform at Seattle Forum

Discussion to Showcase Washington State's Innovation and Reform Efforts

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and former Senator Slade Gorton will convene a forum to discuss upcoming federal transportation policy reform and its effect on the Puget Sound region, given that the September 30th expiration date for the current transportation bill is quickly approaching. The event will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2009 from 9:30AM to 1:30PM at the Doubletree Arctic Club Hotel in downtown Seattle.

The event, co-hosted by Bryan Mistele, President and CEO of Kirkland-based INRIX, will highlight the BPC's National Transportation Policy Project's (NTPP) recently released report entitled, "Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy," and will feature leading local and regional transportation policymakers, top academics and other key transportation stakeholders from the Puget Sound region. Keynote speakers and panelists will discuss the local and national impacts of the next transportation authorization bill, analyze the effects NTPP recommendations will have on the Seattle area, and highlight Washington State's cutting-edge transportation and innovation efforts.

"Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy" is a blueprint for creating a national transportation system that is efficient, effective, and accountable for performance. NTPP is led by its co-chairs: former Senator Slade Gorton; former Mayor of Detroit Dennis Archer; former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert and former Congressman Martin Sabo, and is composed of a broad, bipartisan coalition of transportation experts and business and civic leaders.

                 Forum Speakers and Panelists to Include:

  Welcome

Former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton, NTPP Co-Chair and Of Counsel at K&L Gates LLP

  State of Washington Welcome
  Mary Margaret Haugen, Washington State Senator

Discussion of "The Critical Role of Information Technology in Improving Surface Transportation Performance"

  Thomas Horan, Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University

  National Transportation Policy Project Report and Recommendations

Joshua Schank, Ph.D., Director of Transportation Research, Bipartisan Policy Center

Panel Discussion of "Opportunities and Challenges Implementing the NTPP's Recommendations for Transportation Reform"

Moderated by Doug MacDonald, former Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation

Paula Hammond, Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation

Charlie Howard, Director of Transportation Planning, Puget Sound Regional Council

  Steve Marshall, Senior Fellow, Cascadia Center for Regional Development
  Bryan Mistele, NTPP Member and INRIX President and CEO
  Dan O'Neal, Commissioner, Washington State Transportation Commission

  Luncheon with Keynote Remarks
  Joni Earl, Chief Executive Officer, Sound Transit

J. Tayloe Washburn, Foster Pepper PLLC and Chair of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce

  Conclusion
  JayEtta Hecker, Senior Advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Register by email at ewhite@bipartisanpolicy.org or by calling (202) 204-2400.

NTPP was launched with the goal of bringing fresh approaches to transportation policy. Its proposals for transportation reform aim to be bold and pragmatic, while remaining effective and relevant. More information about NTPP and its project members is available here: www.bpcntpp.org.

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:

In 2007, former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell formed the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to develop and promote solutions that can attract the public support and political momentum to achieve real progress. The BPC acts as an incubator for policy efforts that engage top political figures, advocates, academics, and business leaders in the art of principled compromise. For more information please visit our website: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/.

Members of the press wishing to attend, please RSVP to
press@bipartisanpolicy.org. Press set-up begins at 8:30AM. If you are
interested in scheduling interviews with any of the participants, please
contact Ashley Clark: 569-9110, aclark@bipartisanpolicy.org.
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