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UNOFFICIAL COPY  26 RS BR 2581
1A     CONCURRENT       RESOLUTION  establishing   the   Kentucky     Riverport
2 Modernization Task Force.
3WHEREAS, Kentucky’s riverport authorities are established under KRS Chapter
4 65, including KRS 65.510 to 65.650, the purposes of which are to establish, maintain,
5 operate, and expand necessary and proper riverport and river navigation facilities, and to
6 acquire and develop property of the riverport or proposed riverport to attract river-
7 oriented industry under the oversight of the Transportation Cabinet; and
8WHEREAS, Kentucky’s inland waterways and riverports are a critical component
9 of the Commonwealth’s multimodal transportation network and provide businesses
10 access to one of the most cost-efficient freight transportation modes available; and
11WHEREAS, Kentucky’s waterborne transportation system facilitates the movement
12 of tens of millions of tons of freight annually, with over 89 million tons of goods, valued
13 at more than $18 billion, transported via inland waterways in a recent measured year; and
14WHEREAS, approximately 79 percent of Kentucky’s waterborne trade is
15 conducted with partners outside the Commonwealth, underscoring the importance of
16 riverports to interstate and international commerce; and
17WHEREAS, Kentucky’s riverports serve as essential economic engines within their
18 respective regions, supporting jobs, industrial recruitment, and supply chain
19 competitiveness; and
20WHEREAS, the General Assembly recognizes that riverport authorities operate
21 under existing statutory authority that strictly limits the duties and powers of riverport
22 authorities to promote and develop navigation, river transportation, riverports, and
23 riverport facilities, and to attract industrial or commercial operations to the property held
24 as industrial parks; and
25WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to study the existing
26 statutory limitations on the purposes, duties, and powers of riverport authorities, and
27 review opportunities to modernize statutes to enhance competitiveness, efficiency, and
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1 long-term economic impact of riverport authorities;
2NOW, THEREFORE,
3 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the
4 Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Senate concurring therein:
5Section 1.       The General Assembly hereby affirms and recognizes the existing
6 statutory authority of Kentucky riverport authorities under KRS 65.510 to 65.650 is
7 limited to the establishment, maintenance, operation, and expansion of necessary and
8 proper riverport and river navigation facilities, and to the acquisition and development of
9 property of the riverport or proposed riverport to attract directly or indirectly river-
10 oriented industry under the oversight of the Transportation Cabinet.
11Section 2. The Legislative Research Commission shall establish the Kentucky
12 Riverport Modernization Task Force, which shall study and make recommendations
13 regarding:
14(1)    Kentucky's current statutory framework and any administrative regulations
15 governing riverport authorities and their effectiveness in relation to competitor states;
16(2)    The effectiveness of existing authorities in supporting economic development
17 and freight mobility;
18(3)    Modernization efforts other states have made and their effectiveness;
19(4)    Actions and policies that the state should implement to improve the efficiency
20 and competitiveness of Kentucky's riverports following input from existing riverport
21 authorities and other stakeholders; and
22(5)    Opportunities to strengthen public-private partnerships and regional
23 collaboration, as well as the role of riverports in emerging supply chains.
24Section 3.       The task force shall be composed of the following members, with
25 final membership of the task force being subject to the consideration and approval of the
26 Legislative Research Commission:
27(1)    Four members of the House or Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of
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1 the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be designated by the Speaker of the
2 House of Representatives as a co-chair of the task force;
3(2)    Four members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, one of
4 whom shall be designated by the President of the Senate as a co-chair of the task force;
5(3)    One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Minority
6 Floor Leader of the House of Representatives; and
7(4)    One member of the Senate, appointed by the Minority Floor Leader of the
8 Senate.
9Section 4. The task force shall meet up to four times during the 2026 Interim of
10 the General Assembly. The task force shall submit findings and recommendations to the
11 Legislative Research Commission for referral to the appropriate committee or committees
12 by December 1, 2026.
13Section 5.       The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall deliver a copy of
14 this Resolution to each of Kentucky's active and developing riverport authorities and the
15 secretary of the Transportation Cabinet.
16Section 6.       Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the
17 Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the
18 issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to
19 designate a study completion date.
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