How Senate, House bills would affect transportation

As a plan (SB 200) to shift control of the state’s $2 billion transportation budget makes its way through the Legislature, it’s been amended, gutted and reborn.

These are some highlights of how things work under current law, how they would work under the bill the Senate passed, and under the version being considered in the House of Representatives. For a bill to pass, both chambers and the governor will have to agree on yet another version.

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Who spends the main gas tax money

• Now: The DOT board approves the project lists the commissioner and DOT staff draw up. Each DOT board member represents a congressional district, and is elected by the state legislators in his or her district.

• Senate bill: A State Transportation Authority hand-picked by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House, and a transportation secretary appointed by the governor would draw up project lists. The budget would be approved by the Legislature.

• House bill: The DOT would get a redrawn planning division with a director appointed by the governor. The planning director would draw up project lists, and the governor and DOT board would approve them. The Legislature would approve the budget.

Projects picked by the Legislature

• Now: None

• Senate bill: 10 percent of all gas tax money would go to new projects chosen by the Legislature. This is more than it sounds, since the vast majority of gas tax money goes to pay for costs such as debt service, repaving and repairing existing roads rather than building new ones, and administration. New projects currently account for about 25 percent of the state’s transportation spending, according to DOT spokesman David Spear.

• House bill: The Legislature would choose new projects for 10 to 20 percent of all gas tax money. The projects would be chosen from a list from the governor.

Transparency

• Now: The DOT board must meet in public every month, and regularly air public concerns.

• Senate bill: The Authority board would only have to meet once a year.

• House bill: There seems to be no requirement that the director of planning would have to report to the DOT board about the new project lists drawn up for the Legislature, though a spokesman for Gov. Sonny Perdue said they would come up in other public meetings. The DOT would report regularly to the Legislature about the status of projects.