WASHINGTON, April 30, 2009 - Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) will speak on the Closing Plenary at ITS America's 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition. "A New Era in Transportation - A Congressional Perspective" will be held from 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3 at the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just inside the Washington, DC metro area. Congressman Blumenauer is Vice Chair of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, and also serves on the influential House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee. More information about Congressman Blumenauer is available at http://blumenauer.house.gov.

Congressman Mike Rogers (R-MI), who co-chairs the ITS Caucus, will speak during the Legislative Breakfast immediately preceding the Closing Plenary from 8 a.m.-9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3. Congressman Rogers serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he is a member of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, and is also a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. More information on Congressman Rogers is available at http://www.mikerogers.house.gov.

2009 is a pivotal year for our nation's transportation system. The economic recovery legislation, seminal thinking from two major transportation commissions, and Congressional efforts to pass a new surface transportation bill, climate change, and energy legislation present critical challenges and opportunities. Representatives Blumenauer, Rogers, and other Congressional leaders will offer their vision for a 21st century transportation system and will talk about the role of ITS in our nation's transportation, economic and environmental future.

For more information on the program for ITS America's 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition, visit http://www.itsa.org/annualmeeting.html.

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