The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“HONORING MEHDI MORSHED” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E242-E243 on Feb. 25, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING MEHDI MORSHED
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HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Mehdi Morshed, who has been one of California's leading transportation policy experts and innovators for over 40 years.
Mr. Morshed served as a member of the California High Speed Rail Commission from 1994 to 1996 and was the first person to be appointed to the board of the newly created California High Speed Rail Authority in 1997. He was appointed by the board to be the first Executive Director of the Authority in 1998 and has served in that position since.
Mr. Morshed has been instrumental in guiding the development of the California High Speed Rail Project from its inception and has been an advocate nationwide. The project has evolved from a planning concept to a fully developed project with an 800-mile system that has won political, community, and finally voter support and is poised for implementation in the near future.
Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Mr. Morshed served as the principal policy person on transportation issues for the California State Senate for more than 20 years. Prior to that, he worked for the California Department of Transportation in various capacities, including planning, design and construction of bridges. He was a member of the design engineering team for San Diego's Coronado Bridge.
While with the California Senate, Mr. Morshed was responsible for the development and enactment of a wide range of transportation laws, policies and programs. He helped guide the creation of the State's principal transportation institutions including the High Speed Rail Authority, the California Transportation Commission and various local and regional commissions, transportation districts and other agencies.
Educated at the University of Washington, Seattle, as a civil engineer, he received a master's degree in transportation engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Mr. Mehdi Morshed for his efforts and dedication to the transportation systems in California.
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