The Georgia Legislature’s increased support for mass transit includes a proposal to fulfill one of MARTA’s long-held aims, permanently lifting state restrictions on how the transit agency spends its revenues.
House Bill 213, authored by Rep. Mike Jacobs, R-Brookhaven, removes the requirement that MARTA use 50 percent of its revenues for operations, with the rest going toward infrastructure maintenance. The limitation goes back to the 1965 law creating MARTA.
The legislation reflects MARTA’s rising reputation in the General Assembly. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, has praised transit agency CEO and General Manager Keith Parker for improving the transit system’s finances. Last year, the General Assembly passed legislation, also authored by Jacobs, to lift the so-called 50/50 split for three years.
Jacobs’ bill for this year continues a requirement that the transit system submit an independent management audit every four years to the governor, state auditor and chairman of the House’s MARTA overview committee. Another Jacobs bill targets the MARTA board, restoring the voting rights of the Georgia Department of Transportation commissioner as a panel member.
“MARTA applauds Rep. Mike Jacobs for introducing legislation to permanently eliminate the outdated 50-50 requirement and appreciates his colleagues who also support this reform,” MARTA spokesman Lyle Harris said in a statement to InsiderAdvantage Georgia. “As our transit system matures and expands, the need for flexibility to make prudent financial decisions will become increasingly critical to our continued success.”
Along with Jacobs, chairman of the joint legislative committee overseeing MARTA, the bill’s co-authors include House Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, who expressed his support for transit in introducing legislation to increase transportation funding by an estimated $1 billion a year. A provision of House Bill 170, which shifts the state’s 4 percent sales tax on gasoline into the fuel excise tax, places fees on alternative-fuel vehicles that Roberts wants to dedicate to transit throughout the state, not just MARTA. Roberts also has called for a one-year $100 million bond package for transit.
Gov. Nathan Deal has expressed reservations about the bond package, which is not part of Roberts’ transportation bill and would have to be included in the state budget. Deal said he’s opposed to a temporary bond package, concerned that it could affect the state’s credit rating. Roberts said at a Transportation subcommittee hearing Monday that he’s in negotiations with the governor’s office about the transit bond proposal.
MARTA supports the bond plan, which would require it to compete with the state’s 128 transit systems for funds. However, the plan could give MARTA state funds for the first time.
Parker said in a media statement, “MARTA has been providing bus and rail service to millions of customers for more than three decades mainly with local financial support from its member jurisdictions.
“As the metro Atlanta region continues to grow, the MARTA Board and I are encouraged that lawmakers recognize that transit should be a statewide, transportation funding priority. While it’s still early in the legislative process, we think this bill represents a significant and positive step in the right direction.”
Roberts told the subcommittee that the rewritten transportation bill removes the $5,000 tax credit for electric vehicles, to match a bill authored by Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta. Roberts said the removal of the exemption would bring the state an additional $45 million a year. The subcommittee sent the rewritten bill to the full House Transportation Committee.
Custody bill approved: The Senate Tuesday approved legislation allowing struggling parents to temporarily transfer custody of a child to another adult. The Senate approved Senate Bill 3, authored by Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, 43-10, with Democratic opposition. Unterman said the legislation allows parents with financial difficulties to bypass the Department of Family and Children’s Services system by giving power of attorney to a close friend. An amendment approved by the Senate doesn’t allow a custody transfer to interfere with a DFACS investigation. Minority leader Steve Henson, D-Tucker, and Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, voted against the bill, which now goes to the House.
