Bill Text: OH SR223 | 2009-2010 | 128th General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: To support the construction of the new Detroit River
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2010-05-26 - Adopted [SR223 Detail]
Download: Ohio-2009-SR223-Comm_Sub.html
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Senator Buehrer
To support the construction of the new Detroit River | 1 |
International Crossing between the United States | 2 |
and Canada. | 3 |
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
WHEREAS, Canada is the largest foreign trade partner for the | 4 |
United States, the largest foreign trade partner for 35 states, | 5 |
and the second-largest foreign trade partner for ten states; and | 6 |
WHEREAS, Canada is Ohio's top export market; and | 7 |
WHEREAS, Ohio's bilateral trade with Canada for the year 2008 | 8 |
was $35.8 billion; and | 9 |
WHEREAS, An estimated 267,500 jobs in Ohio are supported by | 10 |
United States-Canada trade; and | 11 |
WHEREAS, Canadians made more than 605,300 visits to Ohio | 12 |
during 2008, spending more than $138 million; and | 13 |
WHEREAS, Approximately 54% of United States-Canada trade | 14 |
moves by truck and about half (approximately 45.5%) of the trucks | 15 |
use the Detroit and Port Huron border crossings; and | 16 |
WHEREAS, Plans are underway to build an additional | 17 |
international border crossing system over the Detroit River, known | 18 |
as the Detroit River International Crossing, consisting of a | 19 |
six-lane bridge with three lanes bound for the United States and | 20 |
three lanes bound for Canada, connected to new United States and | 21 |
Canadian inspection plazas; and | 22 |
WHEREAS, The Detroit River International Crossing will have | 23 |
an enormous economic impact on the U.S. economy, creating 10,000 | 24 |
construction jobs and more than 30,000 indirect jobs during the | 25 |
construction period in the United States; and | 26 |
WHEREAS, The State of Michigan and Transport Canada are | 27 |
pursuing a public-private partnership to finance and deliver the | 28 |
Detroit River International Crossing; and | 29 |
WHEREAS, The partnership will be in the form of a long-term | 30 |
concession agreement that will seek to maximize private sector | 31 |
participation and financing by allowing for public ownership of | 32 |
the bridge and private financing, construction, operation, and | 33 |
maintenance of the bridge while protecting the public interest; | 34 |
and | 35 |
WHEREAS, The State of Michigan needs legislative authority to | 36 |
enter into the public-private partnership and to enter into an | 37 |
agreement with Canada to build the Detroit River International | 38 |
Crossing; and | 39 |
WHEREAS, A modern border crossing that can support the | 40 |
ever-increasing amount of trade and travel between the United | 41 |
States and Canada is essential to the economies of Ohio, the | 42 |
Midwest, and the United States; now therefore be it | 43 |
RESOLVED, That members of the Ohio Senate do hereby fully | 44 |
support the new Detroit River International Crossing project and | 45 |
any legislation that will allow for its construction and creation | 46 |
of a public-private partnership to finance and deliver the new | 47 |
border crossing; and be it further | 48 |
RESOLVED, That the members of the Ohio Senate encourage | 49 |
initiatives that bring investments in communities hosting the | 50 |
Detroit River International Crossing project and the entire | 51 |
multistate region, including job creation, environmental | 52 |
improvement, increased trade, and other benefits that improve the | 53 |
quality of life of residents; and be it further | 54 |
RESOLVED, That the members of the Ohio Senate recognize that | 55 |
the Detroit River International Crossing will have an immeasurable | 56 |
economic impact on the State of Ohio and will lay the foundation | 57 |
for future productivity, growth, and economic stability of local | 58 |
economies within Ohio; and be it further | 59 |
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit duly | 60 |
authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the | 61 |
Michigan Senate, the Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate, the | 62 |
Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, the Minority | 63 |
Leader of the Michigan House of Representatives, the Governor of | 64 |
Michigan, and the Consul General of Canada in Detroit, Michigan. | 65 |