A bill that would change the way Georgia infrastructure and logistics projects are selected for funding has advanced through the Georgia Senate.
Georgia Senate Bill 98, sponsored by state Sen. Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta), would outline eligible expenditures for the Georgia Freight Railroad Program of the Georgia Department of Transportation and provide for amending the procedures and conditions for public and private financing of projects.
“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,” Beach said. “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.”
Specifically, the legislation ensures that when the Georgia Department of Transportation is making funding decisions, it considers if the project will “enhance mobility and safety, promote economic development, or increase the quality of life and general welfare of the public.” Additionally, it will revise the procedure for interviewing and ranking respondents to requests for proposals to participate in public-private partnerships.
The bill would also expand the State Road and Transit Authority’s scope and add the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation to the Georgia Ports Authority as an ex officio member.