February 5 , 2010
House Democrats introduce Transportation Jobs Development Act
This week, House Democrats introduced the Transportation Jobs Development Act, a legislative solution to the transportation funding problem that has caused Georgia to fall behind other states in recent years.
The proposed legislation (HB 1099 and HR 1300) calls for a constitutional amendment authorizing the formation of special transportation districts, which would give citizens in local jurisdictions the power to decide whether to levy a regional sales tax for transportation improvements in their regions. The proposal would also dedicate the fourth penny collected on the state's motor fuel tax to transportation purposes.
Georgia has been losing jobs and federal dollars to other states because of the majority leadership's failure during the past two years to enact transportation funding legislation. For example, Florida and North Carolina were awarded nearly $1.8 billion in federal rail grants last week, while our state received only $750,000 due to the lack of support for rail projects by the Perdue administration and the legislative majority leaders.
The governor recently proposed a statewide vote on a one-cent sales tax for transportation to take place in November 2012, nearly two years after he has left office. It would be 2014 before those funds would have any positive impact on transportation improvements. Georgia cannot wait four more years to catch up with the needs of a population that has outgrown its transportation system.
The Transportation Jobs Development Act would establish a 10-county metropolitan transit district concurrent with the Alanta Regional Commission (Cherokee Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties). A district board consisting of elected officials on the metropolitan area planning and development commission would oversee transportation activites in the district. At least 50 percent of the sales tax collected within the metropolitan region would go toward mass transit, except in DeKalb and Fulton counties, where a sales tax for MARTA is already collected.
The plan would also authorize counties outside that region to levy a special one-cent sales tax for transportation if approved by local referendum. The local governments within those regions would develop a list of projects to be funded prior to calling for the referendum.
The fourth penny of the motor fuel tax, which generated $137 million in fiscal year 2009, presently goes to the state's general treasury. The legislation calls for those funds to be dedicated to transportation purposes on a phase-in basis between 2012 and 2015.
As a proposed constitutional amendment, HB 1099 and HR 1300 require two-thirds approval of both the House and Senate, and a majority approval by voters in the 2010 general election.
Water Conservation: Gov. Sonny Perdue, in his eighth and final year in office, this week unveiled a proposal for water management legislation that calls for some limited conservation measures for the construction industry and power utilities. The proposal would require builders to include low-flow plumbing devices in all new structures and would require large industrial and commercial buildings to deploy more efficient chillers and water cooling towers as part of their heating and air conditioning systems. Noting that the governor is proposing these measures on his way out of office, one water conservation expert said the proposal is "a good start, but it would have been a great start five years ago."
Education Bills: The House passed four measures this week aimed at giving local school systems more flexibility to deal with regulations and reduced funding imposed by the state. HB 905 would extend until 2015 the sunset date for providing school systems advance funding for new facilities that are needed because of student growth or damage caused by fire or natural disaster. HB 907 would allow local boards to decide the grade structures that make up their middle schools. HB 923 would allow teachers who earn a leadership degree to be moved up the salary schedule if they earn the degree prior to July 1, 2013, and were enrolled in the leadership program by April 1, 2009. I voted against a fourth measure that passed, HB 906, which would cause educators to have to wait as long as until May 15 for the next three years before being offered a contract. All of these bills now go the Senate for its consideration.
Loans to Developers: The House approved and sent to the Senate HB 926, which would make it easier for large developers to renew real estate loans with their local bank. State-chartered banks are currently barred from renewing loans to borrowers who owe an amount equal to at least 15 percent of a bank's available funds. This measure would eliminate that restriction, allowing these companies to stay in business.
Concentration of Power: I am opposed to the governor's plan to change four state constitutional officers - Labor Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner and School Superintendent - from elected offices to positions appointed by the governor. This goes against the governor's longtime claim that Georgia has the most efficient state government in the nation. I am disappointed that, instead of focusing on addressing the state's economic problems and job losses that have arisen during his term, the governor is taking up valuable time during this session in an effort to concentrate more political power in his office.
