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Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta
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Norman Y. Mineta became the 14th U.S. Secretary of Transportation on January 25, 2001.
In nominating him, President Bush said, "Norm made a reputation in
the halls of Congress as someone who understands that a sound
infrastructure in America will lead to economic opportunity for all
Americans."
"Transportation is key to generating and enabling economic growth,
determining the patterns of that growth, and determining the
competitiveness of our businesses in the world economy," said
Secretary Mineta. "Transportation is thus key to both our economic
success and to our quality of life."
As Secretary of Transportation, Mineta oversees an agency with 100,000
employees and a $58.7 billion budget. Created in 1967, the U.S. Department
of Transportation brought under one umbrella air, maritime and surface
transportation missions.
The U.S. transportation system includes 3.9 million miles of public
roads and 2 million miles of oil and natural gas pipelines. There are
networks consisting of 120,000 miles of major railroads, more than 25,000
miles of commercially navigable waterways and more than 5,000 public-use
airports. The transportation system also includes more than 500 major
urban public transit operators and more than 300 ports on the coasts,
Great Lakes and inland waterways.
Prior to joining President Bushs administration as Secretary of
Transportation, Mineta served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under
President Clinton, becoming the first Asian Pacific American to serve in
the cabinet. He is the first Secretary of Transportation to have
previously served in a cabinet position. Prior to joining the Commerce
Department, he was a vice president at Lockheed Martin Corporation.
From 1975 to 1995 he served as a member of U.S. House of
Representatives, representing the heart of Californias Silicon Valley.
As a member of Congress, Mineta was known for his dedication to the people
of his district, for consensus building among his colleagues and for
forging public-private partnerships. Mineta's legislative and policy
agenda was wide and varied, including major projects in the areas of
economic development, science and technology policy, trade,
transportation, the environment, intelligence, the budget and civil
rights. He co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and
served as its first chair.
Mineta served as chairman of the House Public Works and Transportation
Committee between 1992 and 1994. He chaired the committees aviation
subcommittee between 1981 and 1988, and chaired its Surface Transportation
Subcommittee from 1989 to 1991. During his career in Congress he
championed increases in investment for transportation infrastructure, and
was a key author of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act of 1991 which shifted decisions on highway and mass transit
planning to state and local governments. ISTEA led to major upsurges in
mass transit ridership and more environmentally friendly transportation
projects, such as bicycle paths. He also pressed for more funding for the
departments Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
After leaving the Congress, Mineta chaired the National Civil Aviation
Review Commission, which in 1997 issued recommendations on reducing
traffic congestion and reducing the aviation accident rate. Many of the
commissions recommendations were adopted by the Clinton administration,
including reform of the FAA to enable it to perform more like a business.
Mineta and his family were among the 120,000 Americans of Japanese
ancestry forced from their homes and into internment camps during World
War II. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley,
Mineta joined the Army in 1953 and served as an intelligence officer in
Japan and Korea. He joined his father in the Mineta Insurance Agency
before entering politics in San Jose, serving as a member of its City
Council from 1967 to 1971 and mayor from 1971 to 1974, becoming the first
Asian Pacific American mayor of a major U.S. city. As mayor, he favored
greater control of transportation decisions by local government, a
position he later championed in ISTEA.
While in Congress, Mineta was the driving force behind passage of H.R.
442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which officially apologized for and
redressed the injustices endured by Japanese Americans during the War. In
1995, George Washington University awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Commemorative Medal to Mineta for his contributions to the field of civil
rights.
Mineta is married to Danealia (Deni) Mineta. He has two sons, David and Stuart
Mineta, and two stepsons, Robert and Mark Brantner.
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