Georgia House leaders unveil transportation funding bill (Atlanta, Lovejoy: buses, rail)

[jsvh]

Georgia Senate scales back transportation funding bill - Atlanta Business Chronicle

The Georgia Senate Friday narrowly passed a watered down transportation funding bill that would raise just more than half of the $1 billion a year for transportation projects sought by legislation passed by the state House of Representatives.

The Senate version of the bill, which passed 29-25, would replace Georgia’s sales tax on gasoline with an excise tax of 20 cents per gallon. The House bill would set the excise tax at 29 cents a gallon.

Senators also amended the bill on the floor to do away with a proposed highway user fee of $25 a year on each Georgia car owner and a $5 daily fee on rental cars. Those two fees had been added to the bill by the Senate Transportation Committee to compensate for the lower excise tax.
Another floor amendment would reduce a fee on electric vehicles contained in the House bill, from $200 a year on non-commercial EVs to $95, and from $300 annually on commercial electric vehicles to $195.

Because of those changes, the Senate bill would raise an estimated $573 million a year for transportation projects across Georgia.

However, that does not include $200 million in bonds lawmakers have earmarked for transportation in the fiscal 2016 state budget, a one-shot appropriation intended to be divided equally between projects for roads and bridges and transit projects.

Senators who supported reducing the revenue target argued against raising taxes to the level that would be required to hit the revenue goal aimed at in the House bill.

“Georgians are taxed enough,” said Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, who proposed the amendment reducing the taxes and fees. “We can solve this problem without burdening them further.”

Like the House bill, the Senate version still would eliminate the state’s $5,000 tax credit on leases and purchases of electric vehicles and jettison a state sales tax exemption on jet fuel that goes primarily to Delta Air Lines Inc.

The Senate’s Republican majority rejected amendments proposed by Democrats aimed at encouraging the Georgia Department of Transportation to award more contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses.

With such major differences between the House and Senate bills, it likely will be up to a legislative conference committee to try to reach an agreement by April 2, the last day of this year’s General Assembly session.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Georgia Senate scales back transportation funding bill - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Still no dedicated transit funding.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Still no dedicated transit funding.

Even the road funding took a huge hit, all because:

“Georgians are taxed enough,” said Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, who proposed the amendment reducing the taxes and fees. “We can solve this problem without burdening them further.”

Pure F***ing Magic, right Senator?

[Airforceguy]

I could at least support the house's version of this bill. The senate's version is downright dumb. I hope some form of a decent transportation bill can be hashed out in committee next week.

[skbl17]

The House version was more palatable. Oh, and I see that the 24 cent excise tax - you know, the thing that the House voted down by quite a margin in its vote - is now a central element of the Senate bill.

Despite the lack of transit funding in either version, I support HB170 as it was originally passed by the House. The Senate version is just atrocious.

- skbl17

[skbl17]

If you want to read the amendments, the version of the bill as passed by the Senate, and see who voted yes/no, there's a whole slew of information on the General Assembly website.

A few notes:

- The Senate substitute to HB170 passed on a vote of 29-25 after consideration of nine amendments. All Democrats and seven Republicans voted against the final version of the bill. Two Republicans were excused from the final vote.

- The $25/$50 annual fee proposed in the Senate committee version was removed by amendment. This will reduce expected revenue by just over $200 million.

- There was another amendment that would have reduced both the registration fee ($200 to $95) and the proposed excise tax ($0.24 to $0.20). Note that the new excise tax would have been a full 9.2 cents fewer than the version passed by the House. The original amendment was adopted, but another amendment was proposed to cancel out that amendment and replace it with a requirement that GDOT document "efficiencies" in the agency. That amendment also passed.

- An amendment was adopted to allow for the temporary creation of a "Special Joint Committee on Georgia Revenue Structure", which will study and introduce proposals for further tax reform in the 2016 session.

- An amendment that would have removed the mandatory $250 million debt service payment was rejected.

- Another amendment that would have kept the tax credits for electric and hybrid vehicle owners was rejected.

- An amendment to require GDOT to appoint a "Minority Compliance Officer" was rejected.

- Finally, a last-ditch amendment to restore the reductions to the $200 registration fee was also rejected.

[PKCorey]

Counties with MARTA, GRTA could vote sooner on transportation tax | www.ajc.com

The weasels under the dome might get one thing correct.

[Airforceguy]

Gov. Nathan Deal has warned key lawmakers that he will order them into special session if they fail to pass what he considers to be an adequate transportation funding bill by the time the regular session ends next Thursday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.

Three individuals with knowledge of the negotiations, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said Deal has made it clear he will use his power to order lawmakers back to Atlanta if they fail to pass House Bill 170 or if he determines it does not raise enough money for transportation.

“He has told staff to avoid scheduling vacations the last week of June,” Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said. “And he has told legislators that’s a possibility."

Exclusive: Deal warns of special session on transportation | www.ajc.com

[Airforceguy]

Looks like ATL will have another shot at T-SPLOST

Williams amended the bill on the Senate floor to potentially speed up one or more sub-regional TSPLOST votes in metro Atlanta. Under the amendment, metro counties would not have to wait until January 2017 to set up sub-regional votes.
Williams said he proposed the amendment because he doesn’t believe voters in the 10-county metro region that defeated the TSPLOST three summers ago would pass it if given another chance.
“You can’t put DeKalb, Forsyth and Cobb counties together in a region,” he said. “They just have very diverse needs.”

'Son of TSPLOST' bill clears Georgia Senate - Atlanta Business Chronicle

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by Airforceguy

Looks like ATL will have another shot at T-SPLOST


'Son of TSPLOST' bill clears Georgia Senate - Atlanta Business Chronicle

This is exactly what is needed.