Getting America to Work:
Opportunities and Challenges in Transportation Policy
August 5, 2009. Getting America to Work:
Opportunities and Challenges in Transportation Policy
Congressman Jim Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is a leader of transportation policy in Congress. Transportation policy is a powerful engine for stimulating the economy and transforming America's energy demands. But the current transportation funding bill will expire on Sept. 30 and Congress is now wrestling with the financing policy issues that will shape the next six year bill. Congressman Jim Oberstar will be speaking at the Humphrey Institute as part of a series the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance is hosting of public talks by prominent government leaders. This series allows Minnesota’s elected officials the opportunity to rise above the talking points and fractious back-and-forth of the legislative process to make substantive statements about issues of importance for Minnesotans.
Jim Oberstar is a member of the United States House of Representatives, first elected in 1974 and currently serving his 18th term as the representative of the Eighth District of Minnesota. Congressman Oberstar is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and an internationally recognized expert on aviation and aviation safety and a champion of creating trails for cycling and hiking. Prior to serving in public office, Oberstar was chief staff assistant to U.S. Rep. John Blatnik and administrator for the House Public Works Committee. Oberstar holds degrees from the College of St. Thomas and the College of Europe in Belgium.
