New MARTA Bill Surfaces, Passes Ga. House Committee
Allison Guillory / WABE
With just three working days left this legislative session, a bill for funding MARTA expansion has resurfaced.
The new measure, SB 369, would allow for a referendum in the city of Atlanta for voters to decide on a half-percent sales tax to help expand the public transit system.
The rest of Fulton County could vote on another tax of up to three-quarters of a percent for transportation purposes, including for roads and bridges.
House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, who’s leading the effort, said the new bill allows for more breathing room for local communities to make decisions.
“It respects their differing expectations, priorities, the manner and the timing that these local communities and the people that live there desire,” she said.
A previous measure would have allowed for referendums in all of Fulton and DeKalb counties to vote on a MARTA expansion tax. The bill died in the state Senate after facing opposition from some leaders in North Fulton County.
The new bill passed out of House committee Tuesday and heads to the House Rules committee, which will decide if it gets a vote by the full House.
The state legislative session’s last day is next week on March 24.
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