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DEL.ICIO.USHouse pitches a statewide, one-cent transportation plan, with a 15-year sunset
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The House late Friday dropped its version of a transportation plan, to match the one dropped by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and his Senate on Thursday.
The Senate version is a county-by-county, one-cent special local option sales tax. The House is a statewide plan - one penny collected on the dollar in 159 counties, with a 15-year sunset.
The Senate version rakes off 20 percent of the take in every county and ships it to the state Capitol — a nod to Gov. Sonny Perdue, who thinks poor Georgia counties lose out on sales taxes, because the cash flows to rich ones with massive retail centers. Half of that 20 percent must be spent on something other than bridges and roads — i.e., mass transit.
“Ninety percent of the amount collected in a regional commission area…shall be spent for transportation purposes in the regional area where it was collected,” says H.R. 1226.
The House version rakes 10 percent off the top — and the General Assembly decides where that money goes. The House also includes an increase in the state motor fuel tax.
Don’t focus on the details. The real action will take place in a House-Senate conference committee. And here you could see a new dynamic.
Promoting the Senate version of the transportation plan with Cagle on Thursday were two suburban Democratic senators — Doug Stoner of Smyrna and Valencia Seay of Riverdale. This was important.
Both the Senate and the House are proposing constitutional amendments, which require two-thirds majorities for placement on the November ballot. Democrats will be needed by both Cagle and by House Speaker Glenn Richardson — first to pass each chamber’s version, then to sign off on a compromise.
Look for Democrats to quietly require two seats in the six-person conference committee — one Senator and House member. Which would set a very, very different tone for bargaining.
Comments
By RAB
February 9, 2008 1:45 AM | Link to this
check out BarackandBill.com(http://www.barackandbill.com) for reasons why Bill Richardson should endorse Barack Obama
By ageofpaper
February 9, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
15 year sunset, ha ha ha, what a joke. In 15 years they will find millions of reasons for developers and road builders to get more money. People are so so stupid. Gov Potato head hates mass transit, he loves road builders
By R U kidding Me?
February 9, 2008 10:23 AM | Link to this
This sounds like just another south Georgia entitlement program.
10-20% off the top?????????????????
This is what got us into this mess in the first place.
This is unacceptable. No way.
By cap
February 10, 2008 11:10 PM | Link to this
Yeah they must be kidding, what a joke. Nobody is going to vote a sales tax on themselves to pay for roads and mass transit in retarded parts of the state.