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Sponsor Testimony on HB 469 — Don Jones, State Representative (Ohio River Commission)

Summary

Sponsor testimony from Don Jones, State Representative, to the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee in support of HB 469, which would create the Ohio River Commission. The testimony describes the Ohio River as one of Ohio’s most valuable assets and says the Columbiana County Port Authority, led by Executive Director Penny Traina, conducts business on the river. It says the commission’s duties would include developing, with public or private planning organizations, a master plan for Ohio River infrastructure and transportation projects, and making an annual report to the Legislature regarding commerce on the Ohio River. It says the commission would also seek and award grants and seek and issue loans.

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“Sponsor Testimony on HB 469 — Don Jones, State Representative (Ohio River Commission).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2024-06-25-econ-workforce-dev-testimony-testimony-12613-7a4f20b53c/, SHA-256 13b28afbb57d27770359aa8d26d08a63c63a6e3e633355f34fc8f2c381373bd2.

Full text

                                         Don Jones
                                   State Representative


Chairman Swearingen, Vice Chair Santucci, Ranking Member Upchurch, and my colleagues on
the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee, thank you for allowing me to
offer sponsor testimony on HB 469, which would create the Ohio River Commission.

The Ohio River is undoubtedly one of Ohio’s most valuable assets. It stretches 981 miles from
Pennsylvania to Illinois with an average depth of 24 feet. The river is a part of the Lewis and
Clark National Historic Trail and was used by many early Americans as an effective way to
bring their family and possessions into the Northwest territory. From the beginning of record-
keeping in 1917 to today, commercial traffic has increased from 5 million tons of cargo to over
230 million tons. Creation of the Ohio River Commission will allow the State of Ohio to protect
and utilize an essential cultural and commercial asset to maximize the benefit to all Ohioans.

The idea for this bill came from the Ohio River Coalition of Ohio (ORCO), which initially was
formed in 2019, and includes representation from Columbiana County, where I am from, as well
as entities from counties south all along the Ohio River.

For example, the Columbiana County Port Authority, led by Executive Director Penny Traina
conducts business on the Ohio River. Penny and her team operate the Port Authority’s state-of-
the-art Intermodal Facility in Wellsville, Ohio, one of 15-cargo terminals on the Ohio River.

The Port Authority Directors, economic development specialists, and tourism groups along the
Ohio River all do their part to bring awareness to the rivers’ importance to our economy. The
creation of the Ohio River Commission would oversee the business conducted on the Ohio
River, from tourism to cargo transportation.

HB 469 creates the Ohio River Commission within the Department of Development to promote
economic development, marine cargo terminal operations, and travel and tourism on the Ohio
River and its tributaries. The commission would consist of 11 members: the director of
Development (who would chair the committee), the directors of ODNR and ODOT, one member
each appointed by the House Speaker and Senate President, and 6 other members appointed by
the Governor.

The Ohio River Commission’s duties would be many, but, consistent with its aims of promoting
prosperity throughout Ohio, here are a few highlights. The Commission would:
   • In collaboration with public or private planning organizations, develop a master plan for
       Ohio River infrastructure and transportation projects;
   •   Coordinate with port authorities, local development districts, the federal government, and
       many other interested parties regarding Ohio River Issues;
   •   Make an annual report to the Legislature regarding commerce on the Ohio River;
   •   And seek and award grants, seek and issue loans, and utilize other finance mechanisms in
       support of the Ohio River projects.

The Ohio River Commission will be funded by the Ohio River Commission Fund in the state
treasury, which is created by this bill. It also allows the Commission to be funded by appropriate
sources of revenue from the Department of Development.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important legislation. I am confident that you can
see the value this commission would add to the assets of the Ohio River. This commission will
benefit the people of Ohio for many years to come. We are happy to answer any questions.

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