February 23 , 2009
The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce is continuing what is now a thirteen year tradition of arranging with Congressmen Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) and the Congressional Border Caucus the 2009 U.S.-Mexico Congressional Border Issues Conference. This congressional event continues to address the challenges on the border which are of paramount importance to the region and to both nations.
Decision-makers from the two nations' capitals and the border region will meet at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on March 18-19, 2009 to explore some of the more prominent concerns related to Immigration and Labor Mobility, Security, Energy, Environment, Health, Trade Facilitation and Infrastructure Modernization.
Each panel will consist of Members of Congress as co-conveners, a USMCOC moderator, representatives from both the U.S. and Mexican governments and private sector discussants. The program will aim to define conditions at the border today and will culminate with a panel discussion on ideas on how they should be addressed. Participants will come away with a better understanding of how policies developed in each nation's capital and how to better target and support the progress of this unique region.
We invite you to join us for a day of stimulating discussion on this very dynamic area and the issues surrounding it.
To register please click here
Sponsorship opportunities available, click here for more information
13th Annual U.S.- Mexico Congressional Border Issues Conference
TENTATIVE AGENDA
(Invited Speakers and Honorees)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Gold Room, Rayburn House Office Building
6:00 - 7:30 pm CONGRESSIONAL RECEPTION HONORING CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
Master of Ceremonies: Honorable Al Zapanta
Welcoming and Introduction of Special Guests: Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D TX)
Guests of Honor:
- Honorable Arturo Sarukhan, Ambasador of Mexico to the United States
- Honorable John Cook, Mayor, City of El Paso, TX
- Honorable Jose Reyes Ferriz, Mayor of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Gold Room, Rayburn House Office Building
9:00 - 9:20 am WELCOME
Welcoming and Introduction:
Honorable Al Zapanta, President, USMCOC
Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX)
9:20 - 11:00 am ROUNDTABLE: IMMIGRATION REFORM & LABOR MOBILITY
Co-conveners:
Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Congressman Dan Lungren (R-CA)
Moderator: Louis Escareño, Director, Public-Governmental Affairs, DFA
Panelists:
- Janet Murguia, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza
- Kathleen Walker, Former National President of American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Geraldo Rivera, Host of "Geraldo at Large" FOX News Channel
- Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
11:00 - 12:30 pm ROUNDTABLE: ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND INFRASTRUCTURE MODERNIZATION
Co-conveners: Senator Tom Udall (D-NM)
Congressman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)
Congressman David Dreier (R-CA)
Moderator: Rick Van Schoik,North American Center for Transborder Studies
Panelists:
- Jorge Garcés,Managing Director,North American Development Bank
- Commissioner Victor Carrillo,Railroad Commission of Texas
- Peter Ballinger, Director, Business Development Small & Medium Enterprises, (OPIC)
- Gerald Schwebel, Executive Vice President, International Bank of Commerce
12:30 - 1:45 pm LUNCHEON
Keynote Speaker:
- Honorable Hilda Solis, Congresswoman (D-CA) and Secretary of Labor Nominee
- Introduced by Congressman Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
2:00 - 4:00 pm FORUM: MERIDA INITIATIVE & U.S.-MEXICO SECURITY COOPERATION
Moderator:Honorable Al Zapanta
Panelists:
- Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
- Congressman Mike McCaul (R-TX)
- Congressman Solomon Ortiz (D-TX)
- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY), Chairman, Western Hemisphere Sub-Committee
- Juan Jose Bravo, Administrator, Mexico's General Customs Administration
- David Johnson, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- Steve Johnson, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere
Affairs
4:00 p.m. ADJOURN
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