U.S. Transportation ­Secretary Anthony Foxx will give the keynote address at the Opening General Session of APTA’s annual Legislative Conference, March 9-11 in ­Washington, D.C., a meeting focused on federal funding, congressional updates, regulatory activities, DOT initiatives, and APTA’s ­legislative recommendations for the reauthorization of MAP-21, among other issues.

Secretary Foxx is scheduled to give remarks on Monday, March 10, at the JW ­Marriott Hotel in downtown ­Washington, D.C., in a session that includes a ­question-and-answer period.

The conference features five additional General Sessions:

Reps. Bill Shuster (R-PA), chairman, House ­Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I), and Earl ­Blumenauer (D-OR), member, House Committee on the ­Budget and its Committee on Ways and Means, will lead a morning March 11 General ­Session on federal issues affecting public transportation.

At the afternoon March 10 General Session, Joseph C. Szabo, FRA administrator, and Therese McMillan, FTA deputy administrator, will provide an update of DOT’s key modal activities.

Key insider congressional staff will present a ‘View from the Hill” at the afternoon March 10 General Session. Panelists from the Senate are Devon Barnhart, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and Homer Carlisle (invited) and Rachel Johnson (invited), both with the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Panelists from the House are Andrew Brady and Helena Zyblikewycz, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and Mike Friedberg, Subcommittee on ­Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, all with T&I.

Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report and columnist for National Journal, will share insights on politics and the congressional legis­lative agenda at an afternoon Welcome General Session Sunday, March 9.

The conference also will feature a panel discussion, “Priorities for the Next Transportation Authorization Bill: A State and Local ­Prospective,” which will address how state and local elected officials are building and enhancing regional transit systems as innovative partners with the federal government. Panelists are Alderman Robert Bauman, ­Milwaukee Common Council; William Euille, mayor, Alexandria, VA, and board member, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; Steve ­Farley, ­Arizona State ­Senate, Tucson; and Hans Riemer, ­councilmember, Montgomery County, MD.

The popular musical troupe, the Capitol Steps, return for a ­luncheon presentation that puts the “mock” in democracy, and the conferences closes with a reception on Capitol Hill with lawmakers and staff members.

For details and to register, click here.

Rep. Bill Shuster	Rep. Earl Blumenauer	FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo	FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan