Senate Passes Bill to Enhance Funding for Infrastructure and Logistics

Today, Senate Bill 98, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Beach (R – Alpharetta), received passage in the Senate by a vote of 53 to 1.

“Over the past two years, the Joint Study Commission on Freight and Logistics held informational meetings across the state to determine how best to leverage and improve Georgia’s logistics infrastructure,” said Sen. Beach. “Senate Bill 98 puts several of these recommendations into action and would open the door for additional public private partnerships to increase our freight rail capacity. While this bill is only a small piece of what is needed to meet our goal of doubling the percentage of freight travelling by rail throughout Georgia, it should lead to an immediate economic benefit. I look forward to working on additional measures to continue to make Georgia the best state in the nation for freight, logistics and infrastructure.”

Senate Bill 98 would ensure that the Georgia Department of Transportation consider the potential for a project to “enhance mobility and safety, promote economic development, or increase the quality of life and general welfare of the public” when making funding decisions, and revise the procedure for interviewing and ranking respondents to requests for proposal to participate in public private partnerships. Additionally, it would expand the scope of the State Road and Transit Authority for certain projects and add the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation as an ex officio member of the Georgia Ports Authority.

The bill passed 53-1.

First Reader Summary SB98: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 32 of the O.C.G.A., relating to highways, bridges, and ferries, so as to provide for eligible expenditures for the Georgia Freight Railroad Program of the Georgia Department of Transportation; to provide for procedures, conditions, and limitations for public and private financing of projects; to revise definitions; to amend Code Section 52-2-5 of the O.C.G.A., relating to composition of the Georgia Ports Authority; appointment, terms, and qualifications of members generally; filling of vacancies; election of chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary-treasurer; and quorum, so as to add the commissioner of transportation as an ex officio member of the Georgia Ports Authority; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

You can read the full text of Senate Bill 98 here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/59341 or below.