Ohio River Basin Congressional Caucus | |
---|---|
Republican Co-Chair | Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) |
Democratic Co-Chair | Rep. John Yarmuth (D) (KY-3) |
Political position | Bipartisan |
Colors | None Official (Gray Unofficial) |
Seats in the Senate | 2 / 28
|
Seats in the House | 15 / 55
|
The Ohio River Basin Congressional Caucus, also known as the Congressional Ohio River Basin Caucus and the Ohio River Basin Caucus, is a Congressional Member Organization dedicated to addressing the critical economic, infrastructure, agricultural, environmental, and community issues within the Ohio River Basin.[1]
The caucus was founded on October 21, 2009, by then Rep. Shelley Moore Capito and Rep. Steve Driehaus in order to unite all members of Congress whose districts reside within the Ohio River Basin to work together to resolve issues faced by their constituents.[2]
The caucus was formed in conjunction with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, which is an organization that was formed by multiple state governments to manage and maintain the environmental quality of the Ohio River Valley.[1]
While all Congressional Caucuses work to recruit additional members who support their particular goals, The Ohio River Basin Caucus is unique in that it makes no attempt to recruit any member of Congress whose Congressional district does not fall within the boundary of the Ohio River Basin. Under this policy, membership for the Caucus is capped at fifty-five members of the House of Representatives and twenty-eight Senators.
Membership is as of the 118th Congress.[3]
The Congressional Ohio River Basin Caucus has routinely worked closely with the Indiana Ohio River Basin Caucus, which exists within the Indiana House of Representatives. Specifically, they have worked together to enact environmental protection laws along Indiana's border with the city of Louisville, Kentucky.[4]