House Speaker David Ralston on Thursday announced the creation of a new panel charged with studying transportation and ways to pay for it, including transit.
Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican, told reporters that the new subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, which writes the state budget each year.
Since lawmakers in 2015 adopted a major new transportation funding plan, Ralston said the issue is more important than ever.
“Transportation now is an increasingly big deal,” he said.
The 2015 bill created new taxes and fees to fund transportation improvements and has greatly increased money available for major projects. Money raised from those new sources are dedicated to roads and bridges but it also frees up other money that could be used for transit.
The new subcommittee will help craft the plan to spend it.
“I’ve said repeatedly and I’ll say again today, transit is going to be an important part of our transportation future in Georgia,” Ralston said. We have to recognize transit is not only a part of congestion-mitigation, but it’s economic development here in the state.”
Transit expansion continues to be a major issue in Metro Atlanta, especially after voters in Atlanta agreed to raise taxes for MARTA expansion. Now other jurisdictions are considering similar efforts.
The announcement drew raves from House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, D-Atlanta.
“It’s a big deal,” she said. “You have a Republican speaker of the House acknowledging the importance of transit funding and transportation funding, not simply as one of 50 things to be considered in an appropriations session.”
Ralston also vowed to re-introduce legislation expanding workers compensation coverage for firefighters, after Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a similar bill in 2016.
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