House passes gas tax revenue fix

By Janel Davis

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The House passed a bill Friday that would free up about $1 billion in motor fuel tax revenue to be used for transportation projects, including a toll road project in Cobb and Cherokee counties.

Enlarge photo

Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com The House budget includes $300 million for a toll road project along I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties.

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The money had been dedicated to the state Transportation Department in previous years, but an accounting change did not allow the funds to be rolled over from one fiscal year to the next fiscal year.

Rep. Jay Roberts, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, filed House Bill 806 as a legislative fix.

“This is not GDOT's fault -- they know the money is there -- but under the current accounting process, they couldn't use [the money],” said Roberts, a Republican from Ocilla. “Without this bill, the money would have just stayed there in an account collecting interest. This will help speed up a lot of projects."

About $713 million of the unused gas tax dollars were included in the spending plan also approved by the House on Friday, and the money will be sprinkled throughout the DOT for projects, including $300 million for the reversible toll lanes in the Northwest Corridor area and airport projects.

Roberts clarified that the gas tax revenue is not new money.