Three state legislatures deal with three key transportation issues

In Georgia, a one-cent sales tax to fund highway construction appeared dead.

The Associated Press

4/4/2009

Transportation slammed into gridlock again Friday in the Georgia state Legislature as the 2009 legislative session gaveled to a close at midnight without a deal on funding for hundreds of badly-needed road and infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, House leaders unveiled a plan to overhaul the state’s transportation system, including the elimination of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and in Nevada, a bill to establish a framework for toll road construction passed a key Senate panel.

In Georgia, the House and Senate did late Friday sign off on a transportation overhaul plan that would give the governor and state legislators far more control in how infrastructure dollars are spent.

The reform effort — hailed as "revolutionary" by supporters — was launched by Perdue, who labeled the current structure dysfunctional. But the proposal that passed did not go as far as Perdue wanted, keeping much of the same setup instead of creating a new agency to replace the state Department of Transportation board.

As the clock ticked down Friday night, though, a one-cent sales tax that would fund transportation improvements seemed increasingly unlikely. The House continued to insist on a statewide tax while the Senate favored a plan that can be imposed regionally. Voters would need to approve either plan.

Throughout the hectic day, some contentious proposals long thought dead were revived in a matter of moments, and others were overhauled entirely.

Massachusetts House leaders said their bill is designed to overhaul the state's transportation system in part by strengthening the governor's control over transit funding and giving him oversight of the troubled MBTA.

The bill creates a new Massachusetts Transportation Authority, which would be run by a five-member board. The governor would serve as chairman and have the power to appoint the other four members, who would serve staggered three-year terms.

The new authority would have control over much of the state's transportation funding, including all toll revenues, user fees and other operating revenues. It also would receive an appropriation from the Legislature of other transportation funds including gas tax revenues and Registry of Motor Vehicle fees.

The board would be given the responsibility of naming a state transportation secretary, who would report back to it.

The House bill would give the board control of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The board would hire a general manager to run the public transit agency, which already receives 20 percent of the state sales tax.

The House bill also eliminates the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, but it does not address the issue of tolls.

The bill doesn't mention other possible sources of revenue, including fare increases or the 19 cent-a-gallon hike in the state gas tax proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick. Lawmakers are trying to push through transportation reforms before debating ways to increase revenue.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said the bill will rein in costs through consolidations and streamlining of the delivery of transportation services.

The Massachusetts Senate last week overwhelmingly approved its own transportation overhaul plan.

The Senate bill would unify some transportation agencies under a single Massachusetts Surface Transportation Agency, but, unlike the House bill, it would maintain a separate Executive Office of Transportation.

In Nevada, before passing the bill, the panel cut out wording that favored a state pilot project for pay-to-drive lanes on some existing Las Vegas-area freeways.

SB206, moving from the Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee to the full Senate, would mandate strict oversight over public-private partnerships that finance toll road construction.

Nevada Transportation Director Susan Martinovich said the rejected wording was needed, adding that toll lanes used for the state's demonstration project wouldn't use entire Las Vegas-area highways.

Instead, she said the lanes for the state project would be the ones now limited during rush hours to cars carrying two or more people. Under the agency's plan, the toll-road lanes would be free to cars with three or more people. Anyone else would pay a fee.

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