Representative Sharice Davids Visits Logistics Park For Supply Chain Discussion

Sharice Davids, Democrat and Kansas' Third District Representative for the U.S. House, visited southwest Johnson County Tuesday, May 24 to discuss recent federal and local investment in Johnson County infrastructure and shipping opportunities.

She toured Logistics Park and took a brief ride on the short-line railroad at NewCentury AirCenter.

Davids said infrastructure and shipping opportunities in Johnson County are part of a multilayered effort to strengthen domestic supply chains.

"Harnessing the power of our local manufacturers not only improves our supply chain, but also lowers costs and reduces inflation," she said.

Davids said Logistics Park KC and Johnson County, KS Government‘s short line railroad are doing this work right here at home.

"When we make more here at home, and when we invest in strong supply chains we lower costs for folks at every point," she said. "Today I got to see how both the bipartisan infrastructure law and the new supply chain legislation we are working on in Congress will help the Kansas Third District continue to serve our entire country's transportation needs."

She was recently named a key negotiator for the COMPETES Act, a major economic package aimed at strengthening supply chains, reducing inflation and increasing America's global competitiveness. She is one of two Kansas lawmakers on a non-bipartisan committee working for a pro-manufacturing bill in Congress.

Aaron Otto, executive director of the Johnson County Airport Commission, said they had trained their staff to be engineers and conductors to prevent disruptions in providing critical services.

"Additionally we have invested record amounts of funds into the railroad's infrastructure to rescue possible disruptions caused by aging rails and ties," he said. "These investments have been made possible through grant programs."

Michael Frisinger, BNSF Railway's Kansas Division's General Manager, said freight railroads are a key component of the supply chain and will play an increasingly important role in the U.S. goods movement.

"Rail is the most cost-effective and greenest way to move goods from where they are manufactured or imported to the markets where they are sold," he said. "We are pleased to show Congresswoman David's BNSF's Logistic Park Kansas City intermodal facility where we serve the growing Midwest market and help our customers streamline their supply chain and lower carbon emissions."