Urge Congress to enact the Ohio River Restoration Program Act
SCR19 is a concurrent resolution urging the U.S. Congress to approve federal legislation creating the Ohio River Restoration Program Act. The resolution frames the Ohio River as a major economic, environmental, and public health asset for Ohio, noting its role in commerce, recreation, drinking water, and the health of communities across the basin. It cites concerns about degraded water quality, harmful algal blooms, toxic contamination, failing infrastructure, flooding, and threats to fish and wildlife habitat.
The resolution supports federal bills H.R. 5966 and S. 3796, which would establish an Ohio River Basin Restoration Program focused on improving water quality, flood resiliency, natural system restoration, invasive species control, toxic remediation, public access, recreation, outreach, and education. SCR19 does not itself change Ohio law or create a state program; instead, it is a formal legislative request to Ohio’s congressional delegation to support federal action. Its practical effect is to express Ohio’s policy position and advocate for federal investment in the Ohio River Basin.
SCR19 has no direct effect on Ohio statutes, regulations, or state agency authority because it is a concurrent resolution rather than a substantive bill. Its legal impact is limited to expressing the General Assembly’s support for federal legislation and directing the Senate Clerk to transmit the resolution to Ohio’s congressional delegation. The resolution is intended to influence federal policy that could bring funding and programmatic changes affecting water quality, infrastructure, recreation, environmental remediation, and public health in Ohio and the broader Ohio River Basin.
The overall sentiment around the resolution appears strongly supportive and bipartisan in tone. The text emphasizes broad benefits such as cleaner water, economic gains, improved recreation, habitat restoration, and public health protections, and it specifically notes that the referenced federal bills have wide bipartisan support. No votes or committee transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded opposition in the available materials.
No formal points of contention are documented in the provided record, but the resolution’s subject matter suggests potential areas of debate: the scope and cost of federal restoration efforts, the balance between environmental regulation and economic development, and how restoration priorities would be funded and implemented across multiple states in the Ohio River Basin. Any disagreement would likely center on federal spending, interstate coordination, and whether the proposed program would sufficiently address pollution, flooding, and infrastructure needs.