House, Senate to hash out public transit plan

Both must reconcile visions on regional transit cooperation.

and David Wickert

The state House and Senate have set the stage to hash out the future of the region’s public transportation in the final days of the 2018 legislative session, which ends next week.

Each chamber has offered its own vision of what regional transit cooperation should look like. The Senate on Friday used an administrative move to again approve what in reality is its version of the transportation bill.

As originally drafted, House Bill 930 and Senate Bill 386 would both allow 13 metro Atlanta counties to impose 1-cent sales taxes to support transit construction and operations.

Each bill passed its respective chamber. And each chamber has since taken the other’s bill and — in essence — replaced it with its own version. Now the two chambers must reconcile their differences — likely through a conference committee.

The bills also each would create a board to oversee transit funding and construction in the region. Though they differ on the composition of the board, under both bills it would have the final say over the project list for any county that sought to hold a transit referendum.

“It brings the region together to where people can cross jurisdictional lines on public transportation in a seamless, efficient, clean and, most of all, safe manner,” said Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta.

In addition, HB 930 would impose a 50-cent fee on all taxi, ride-sharing and other ground transportation rides, as well as a new 1 percent sales tax on airport concessions. The fee and tax would raise tens of millions of dollars for transit projects.

Under both bills, most county transit votes would be delayed until at least 2019. But the House bill includes a provision that would allow Gwinnett County residents to vote on joining MARTA later this year.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, will appoint three members from their respective chambers to the compromise committee. Those members will have until Thursday, the final day of the session, to reach an agreement.

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