2009 Tony Jannus Award Recipient

Rep. Oberstar is arguably the top expert on transportation issues in the United States Congress.

Currently in his 18th term in Congress and his second term as Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Rep. Oberstar's experience with the committee stretches back to 1963, when he joined the staff of his predecessor, Rep. John Blatnik. Elected to Congress in 1974, Rep. Oberstar has served on what is now the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the past 28 years, along the way chairing the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, and the Subcommittee on Aviation. From 1995 through 2007, Rep. Oberstar served as the Ranking Democratic Member on the Committee. Now, as chairman, he is engaged in the crafting of a new, transformational, six-year surface transportation authorization bill and will be bringing it to the floor of the House in the coming months.

Rep. Oberstar served on the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries from 1975 through 1994. After that Committee was abolished in 1995, its jurisdiction over Coast Guard and commercial maritime transportation was transferred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and placed in a new Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. A strong supporter of the Coast Guard, he has worked to provide the service with the resources it needs to carry out its broad and varied mission. He is also a big fan of short-sea shipping, and sees its potential as an alternative to truck and rail transportation.

A tireless advocate for safety and fair competition in air travel, Rep. Oberstar has also helped preserve and expand programs to improve air quality, protect the environment, enhance mass transit, and expand facilities for bicycle and pedestrian travel as part of our national transportation system. A native of Chisholm, Minnesota and the son of an iron ore worker, Rep. Oberstar is Minnesota's all-time longest serving Member of Congress.