Further gut of state aviation authority proposed

A further gut of the Georgia Aviation Authority was proposed Wednesday in the state Senate, a direct response to Gov. Nathan Deal's call this month to privatize the state's aviation services.

Senate Bill 339 would return the control of aircraft and aviation staff to both the state Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Forestry Commission. Both agencies lost them in 2009 during a move to centralize the state’s flight operations. The move, which created the aviation authority, was championed by then-Gov. Sonny Perdue as a money saver.

It never caught on. Lawmakers stripped it of its primary duty last year to assist law enforcement agencies with aerial support during emergencies.