Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman Announces Senate Select Committee Hearing on Rail Safety

COLUMBUS—Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) announced the first hearing of the Senate’s Select Committee on Rail Safety to review the Norfolk Southern Derailment in East Palestine.
 
The committee will meet Wednesday, March 1st at 2:30pm in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. If the Senate’s voting session runs past that time, the committee will convene immediately after the chamber adourns.

Chaired by Senator Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) and Vice Chair Michael Rulli (R-Salem), the committee will take testimony and question state agency officials, and experts working on the scene in East Palestine.
 
“The derailment devastated the people in my district,” said Senator Rulli. “I’m grateful that my colleagues in the Senate want to find ways to help.”
 
Senate President Matt Huffman summarized the mission and expectations of the Select Committee. “Ohioans see trains every day, and in some communities, it is a way of life, as children count the rail cars with their parents while stopped at a crossing. The mission of the Senate Select Committee is clear. We need a complete understanding of why it happened, where the recovery stands now, and determine exactly how the Ohio General Assembly can best help our neighbors in East Palestine recover.”
 
Also serving on the committee, is Senate Transportation Committee Chair, Senator Stephanie Kunze (R-Dublin), Senator Frank Hoagland (R-Mingo Junction), Senator Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), Senator Al Landis (R-Dover), Senator Louis W. Blessing, III (R-Colerain Township), Ranking Member Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) and Senator Catherine Ingram (D-Toledo).

Click here to view live coverage of the committee provided by The Ohio Channel.