The high-profile transportation spending bill has hit the legislative fast track, with the first Senate committee hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
House Bill 170, which the House passed by an unexpected large margin last week, will be discussed by the Senate Transportation Committee beginning at 3 p.m. in room 450 of the state Capitol.
Committee Chairman Tommie Williams, R-Lyons, likely will give attention to a proposal not even discussed in the House: Allowing two or three counties to band together to fund transportation projects.
After metro Atlanta and other regions rejected wide-ranging T-SPLOST programs in 2012, the more targeted approach offers higher appeal to voters. Also, the counties could ask for a fraction of the traditional 1 percent sales tax.
Sen. Hunter Hill, R-Smyrna, says he wants to contribute, “I’ve got ideas in terms of reforming the T-SPLOST and allowing for a partial penny,” Hill told InsiderAdvantage Georgia. “That wasn’t even discussed in the House, and I hope that we can have that conversation in the Senate.”
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