Political Insider

Nathan Deal appoints Jay Roberts as DOT planning director

Feg. 12, 2015 - Atlanta - Rep. Jay Roberts presents a revised House plan to raise $1 billion for transportation to the full Transportation Committee. House Bill 170 has also garnered new critics as the Sierra Club denounced its lack of funding for transit and it's creation of a new user fee on electric vehicle drivers while a Washington think-tank and a Republican House member unveiled a study that showed eliminating a state tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles would cost the state more than $200 million in lost GDP over the next 16 years. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, presents a revised House plan to raise $1 billion for transportation to the full House Transportation Committee on Thursday. Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com
Feg. 12, 2015 - Atlanta - Rep. Jay Roberts presents a revised House plan to raise $1 billion for transportation to the full Transportation Committee. House Bill 170 has also garnered new critics as the Sierra Club denounced its lack of funding for transit and it's creation of a new user fee on electric vehicle drivers while a Washington think-tank and a Republican House member unveiled a study that showed eliminating a state tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles would cost the state more than $200 million in lost GDP over the next 16 years. BOB ANDRES / BANDRES@AJC.COM Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, presents a revised House plan to raise $1 billion for transportation to the full House Transportation Committee on Thursday. Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com
By Jim Galloway
May 8, 2015

As many expected, Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed state Rep. Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, as planning director of the Georgia Department of Transportation -- essential, the governor's man in the all-important but otherwise independent agency.

As chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Roberts was the lead sponsor on HB 170, the $900 million-a-year transportation funding bill recently signed by Deal. From the press release:

"Rep. Roberts is a subject matter expert and a statewide leader on transportation issues," Deal said. "He's earned the trust of his colleagues on the two transportation committees, and I look forward to their confirmation of his nomination."

Roberts will assume his duties on May 15.

About the Author

Jim Galloway, the newspaper’s former political columnist, was a writer and editor at the AJC for four decades.

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