Bill Text: OH SCR5 | 2009-2010 | 128th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: As Introduced 128th General AssemblyRegular Session2009-2010S. C. R. No. 5 Senator Smith
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-02-24 - To Finance & Financial Institutions [SCR5 Detail]
Download: Ohio-2009-SCR5-Introduced.html
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Senator Smith
Cosponsors:
Senators Morano, Cafaro, Roberts, Stewart
| To urge the President and Congress of the United | 1 |
| States to provide funds for the Ohio Hub rail | 2 |
| corridor development. | 3 |
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING):
| WHEREAS, The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) and the | 4 |
| Ohio Department of Transportation have completed an analysis of | 5 |
| constructing and operating an intercity and interstate passenger | 6 |
| rail system serving Ohio and the Midwest, known as the Ohio Hub; | 7 |
| and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, The Ohio Hub study concludes that construction and | 9 |
| operation of the rail system will create a significant economic | 10 |
| stimulus, that the economic benefits justify the investment, that | 11 |
| construction is economically feasible and justifiable assuming an | 12 |
| 80% federal construction match, and that the project will not be a | 13 |
| burden on the State's annual budget; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, The first two project development phases will | 15 |
| advance proposed rail corridors through the required steps under | 16 |
| the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and will resolve | 17 |
| decisions regarding routes, station locations, and other capital | 18 |
| improvements and provide a "record of decision" to be approved by | 19 |
| the Federal Railroad Administration; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, At the request of Governor Ted Strickland, the ORDC | 21 |
| has also undertaken a study of conventional-speed passenger rail | 22 |
| in the Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati (3-C) Corridor as an | 23 |
| incremental step toward the above goals; and | 24 |
| WHEREAS, It is highly unlikely that ORDC and Ohio's | 25 |
| neighboring states will advance the development of the proposed | 26 |
| intercity and interstate passenger rail system without federal | 27 |
| matching funds; and | 28 |
| WHEREAS, Ohio and the nation are faced with an array of | 29 |
| urgent economic, environmental, and mobility challenges that | 30 |
| require bold, effective action be taken to implement strategic and | 31 |
| essential investments in our rail system; now therefore be it | 32 |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 128th General Assembly | 33 |
| of the State of Ohio, acting on behalf of the citizens of Ohio, | 34 |
| urge the President and Congress to support the ORDC's 2009 federal | 35 |
| funding requests to complete program level, first tier | 36 |
| Environmental Impact Statements for Ohio Hub rail corridors; and | 37 |
| be it further | 38 |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 128th General Assembly | 39 |
| of the State of Ohio, acting on behalf of the citizens of Ohio, | 40 |
| urge the President and Congress to fully fund the federal | 41 |
| Intercity Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Program with the | 42 |
| long-term funding necessary to finance the Ohio Hub rail capacity | 43 |
| improvements and with the federal government providing 80% of the | 44 |
| capital costs necessary to build the system; and be it further | 45 |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 128th General Assembly | 46 |
| of the State of Ohio, acting on behalf of the citizens of Ohio, | 47 |
| urge the President and Congress to fund 3-C Corridor improvements | 48 |
| to support ORDC's work with Amtrak in establishing | 49 |
| conventional-speed passenger rail service in the corridor as a | 50 |
| good first step in development of the Ohio Hub; and be it further | 51 |
| RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly | 52 |
| authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the | 53 |
| United States, to the members of the Ohio Congressional | 54 |
| delegation, to the Speaker and the Clerk of the United States | 55 |
| House of Representatives, to the President Pro Tempore and | 56 |
| Secretary of the United States Senate, to the Governor of Ohio, to | 57 |
| the ORDC, and to the news media of Ohio. | 58 |
