Representative Ken Upchurch of Monticello was appointed to serve on the Council of State Governments (CSG) South’s Economic Development, Transportation, and Cultural Affairs Committee, House Speaker David Osborne announced this week.
“I am honored to have been appointed to serve on CSG South’s Economic Development, Transportation, and Cultural Affairs Committee,” said Upchurch. “Strong infrastructure is critical to our state’s success, driving economic growth, improving connectivity, and boosting tourism. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with my colleagues to devise solutions to our region’s most pressing problems.”
According to CSG South, the Economic Development, Transportation and Cultural Affairs Committee “examines issues related to infrastructure, transportation, economic progress, and cultural strengths in the Southern region, bringing manufacturing operations of national and foreign companies to the region, and the importance of ports, roads, and railways for the movement of manufactured goods.”
“Kentucky’s participation in the Council of State Governments provides both resources and an opportunity to collaborate with our legislative colleagues throughout the region,” Speaker Osborne added. “We learn a great deal about what worked and what failed in other states and it is more important than ever that we work together. The issues we face in areas like education, health care, energy resilience, and economic development, don’t recognize state boundaries.”
As committee members, legislators will have the opportunity to attend the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC), the largest regional gathering of legislative members and staff, in Birmingham, Alabama, from July 19-23. This conference provides lawmakers from different states the opportunity to attend committee sessions, interact with lawmakers from other states in the region, represent and share the interests of their state and its chamber with other legislators and government staff associated with CSG, and engage with policy experts.
Established in 1947, the Southern Office is a member-driven organization and the largest of the four regions operating under The Council of State Governments. The mission of CSG South is to promote and strengthen intergovernmental cooperation among our 15 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
For more information about CSG South and the SLC, please click here.
