The Capitol Report
April 4, 2008
Vol. 4 No. 12

Transportation Funding Bill Comes Up 3 Votes Short in Senate with Just Minutes Left on the Clock

After hours of intense negotiations between the House and the Senate, a compromise was reached on the transportation funding resolution, SR 845, and companion legislation late in the evening on Friday. Unfortunately it was all for naught as the State Senate could only muster 35 votes for the resolution with time running out on the clock.  The legislation needed 38 votes to pass because constitutional amendments require a 2/3 margin to pass.  The House had just passed the legislation with 136 votes in favor minutes before.

Despite the setback, the progress that was made on transportation funding in the 2008 session was remarkable. The leadership exhibited by Transportation Committee Chairmen Vance Smith and Jeff Mullis, along with Rep. Donna Sheldon, Rep. Mark Hamilton, Sen. Doug Stoner, Sen. Don Balfour and others made the difference in getting the legislation so close to passage.

There is no question that traffic congestion and the funding needed to provide real relief will continue to be the number one issue that the metro Atlanta region faces in the future.  It remains to be seen if our state’s leaders will have the courage to address this threat to our quality of life and economic growth.

**The Capitol Report is provided by the Cherokee County Chamber, in partnership with the Regional Business Coalition. The Regional Business Coalition (RBC) is comprised of 16 local chambers of commerce and business organizations in the metro Atlanta region representing over 16,000 businesses. To learn more, please visit www.rbcatl.com.