AASHTO Journal - Agenda Released for AASHTO 2024 Washington Briefing

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently released the agenda for its annual Washington Briefing, to be held February 5-8, 2024, at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C.; a new location for this yearly event.

[Above photo by AASHTO]

This annual legislative meeting gives attendees the opportunity to collaborate with transportation leaders from state departments of transportation, members of Congress, federal transportation officials, and other industry experts on a range of current and future policy matters.

Highlighting legislative and regulatory developments in all modes of transportation, the 2024 Washington Briefing will focus on kicking off AASHTO’s federal surface transportation reauthorization process, as well as maintaining the momentum behind implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA.

The conference will examine legislative outlook 2024 from key committee leaders including Senator Tom Carper and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, along with Rep. Sam Graves and Rick Larsen, Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The conference will also discuss fiscal year 2024 appropriations as well as other legislative and regulatory priorities of state DOTs across the country.

It will also feature a fireside chat by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation, Operations, and Innovation, along with another fireside chat between Shailen Bhatt, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, and Craig Thompson – secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and AASHTO president for 2023-2024 – on the details on one of Thompson’s emphasis areas: “Maximizing Federal Investments Together, Safer Together, and

Building Our Workforce Together.” Attendees will also hear from Ian Coss, producer of the acclaimed Big Dig podcast reviewing the Central Artery/Tunnel megaproject in Boston as a case study for infrastructure development in the United States.

Two “Knowledge Sessions” will be held during the briefing as well; one focused on how state DOTs can navigate an “evolving” federal transportation landscape, with the other looking how the federal government’s general fund could potentially replace the Highway Trust Fund as the source of fiscal support for the nation’s surface transportation programs.