UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS HCR 72/GA
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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION establishing the Multimodal Freight 1
Transportation System Improvement Task Force. 2
WHEREAS, Kentucky's unique geographical location makes it an ideal hub for the 3
transportation of goods by highway, rail, river, and air; and 4
WHEREAS, Kentucky, located within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. 5
population at the center of a 34-state distribution area in the eastern United States, has a 6
location advantage that facilitates the distribution of goods and materials to a massive 7
industrial and consumer market; and 8
WHEREAS, Kentucky ranks 2nd in the nation in total air cargo shipments and is 9
home to three global shipping hubs (UPS World Port, DHL Americas hub, and Amazon 10
Air global port), resources that put Kentucky at the heart of the global stream of 11
commerce; and 12
WHEREAS, Kentucky has over 1,400 miles of interstates and limited-access, 13
interstate grade parkways, to facilitate the free flow of commerce, including Interstates 65 14
and 75, two of the most vital freight corridors in the nation; and 15
WHEREAS, Kentucky, which ranks 4th in the nation with 1,020 miles of 16
commercially navigable waterways, is surrounded on three sides by the commercially 17
navigable rivers of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Big Sandy River, and also the Tennessee, 18
Cumberland, Green and Licking Rivers which are able to move freight, giving the 19
Commonwealth great advantages in being at the center of a vast inland waterways 20
network and at the confluence of several critical inland waterway routes; and 21
WHEREAS, Kentucky's 2,562 railroad miles, and 13 railroads, including two Class 22
1 railroads, are the fourth key component in the multimodal freight transportation 23
network; and 24
WHEREAS, the development of business models around "just in time" inventory 25
overnight delivery and the rapid transportation of freight has strained our nation's supply 26
chain over the last few years; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS HCR 72/GA
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WHEREAS, improvements to Kentucky's multimodal freight transportation system 1
will require careful analysis and targeted public investment, which, if done properly, 2
could yield tremendous economic benefit for the entire Commonwealth; 3
NOW, THEREFORE, 4
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 5
Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Senate concurring therein: 6
Section 1. The Legislative Research Commission shall establish the Multimodal 7
Freight Transportation System Improvement Task Force. The task force shall study and 8
make recommendations regarding: 9
(1) Ports, freight, and air terminals, to review, correct, secure, and expand 10
economic development opportunities, including ports for bulk river and rail service, as 11
well as transit terminals for trucking and air freight; 12
(2) The state of the current freight transportation system to identify both gaps 13
where services are not available and existing facilities where backlogs exist and 14
expansion is warranted; and 15
(3) Funding opportunities, both one-time and recurring, that are available or may 16
be necessary to fund improvements and maintain the system. 17
Section 2. The task force shall be composed of the following members, with 18
final membership of the task force being subject to the consideration and approval of the 19
Legislative Research Commission: 20
(1) Five members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of 21
the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated by the Speaker of the 22
House of Representatives as a co-chair of the task force; 23
(2) Five members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, one of 24
whom shall be designated by the President of the Senate as a co-chair of the task force; 25
(3) The Secretary of the Cabinet for Economic Development, or the secretary's 26
designee; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS HCR 72/GA
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(4) The Secretary of the Transportation Cabinet, or the secretary's designee; and 1
(5) The Commissioner of the Department of Aviation, or the commissioner's 2
designee. 3
Section 3. The task force shall meet as necessary during the 2023 Interim of the 4
General Assembly. The task force shall submit findings and recommendations to the 5
Legislative Research Commission for referral to the appropriate committee or committees 6
by December 1, 2023. 7
Section 4. Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the 8
Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the 9
issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof and to 10
designate a study completion date. 11