Kentucky lawmakers on Tuesday launched the first Automotive Caucus in Frankfort, and two Bowling Green lawmakers are co-chairmen.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers pledged to collaborate with automotive-related manufacturers and the Kentucky Automotive Industry Association. A caucus tracks related legislation that may affect its profession.

“When it comes to Kentucky’s automotive manufacturing industry, political party labels don’t apply,” caucus co-chairman state Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Bowling Green, said in an email. “This is an industry that employs tens of thousands of Kentuckians and makes products known all over the world. We want to work with these manufacturers to ensure the industry’s ongoing success.”

Two out of every three Kentucky counties are home to at least one manufacturing facility, and 20 percent of the state’s exports are tied to the auto manufacturing industry.

“Automotive manufacturing is Kentucky’s largest manufacturing industry, and because of our central location, low energy costs and outstanding workforce, our state is well-positioned to continue its record of success in building the cars and trucks the world wants to buy,” caucus co-chairman Speaker Pro Tem Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said in an email.

“In order to keep Kentucky at the forefront of auto manufacturing, we must work together to ensure these businesses have what they need to maintain that momentum.”

Over the last five years, about 340 auto manufacturing businesses have announced new locations or expansions in the state, representing 20,000 new jobs and nearly $4.5 billion in new capital investments.

Area lawmakers in the Automotive Caucus include state Rep. Johnny Bell, D-Glasgow; Rep. Martha Jane King, D-Lewisburg; Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Brownsville, and Rep. Wilson Stone, D-Scottsville.