Republicans return to a GOP-only plan for a transportation sales tax

Political Insider: 

Gov. Sonny Perdue and Republican leaders of the House and Senate over the weekend cut a deal for a transportation bill that will probably come out of a conference committee on Tuesday, according to my AJC colleague Ariel Hart.

Democrats won’t be offered a voice in the process, and Republicans will return to the concept that puts off a referendum until 2012. GOP candidates for governor had objected to Republican talk, which surfaced last week, of acceding to Democratic requirements for a proposed constitutional amendment – and a November referendum this year.

The newest version of a transportation deal would be done by statute, a return to the basic concept that the governor introduced, doing it with a statute that only requires a simple majority and Perdue’s signature. A court challenge is likely.

One reason for the GOP-only solution: Republicans are ticked at Democrats for a move they made during debate over adding the $216 million bed hospital tax to HB 1055: They’ve challenged the legality of the combination in a letter to Attorney General Thurbert Baker.

Read the letter here.

The sticking point within GOP ranks has been Perdue’s insistence on the creation of specific regional tax districts for sales taxes – which included no provision for withdrawing from those districts.

The measure that will escape the conference committee will stick to the governor’s demand – but we’re hearing that local governments, as a sop, would be able to keep 25 percent of tax revenue generated.

The matter of a 50-50 provision for MARTA is up in the air. With no Democrats required or desired, Hart says, it’s not sure whether the state’s largest transit agency will be included.

In the meantime, Hart writes that MARTA has begun its own effort:

MARTA and its local union are kicking off a publicity campaign Tuesday, holding rallies and putting red X’s on a third of their buses and trains, to denote the ones that won’t be running after budget cuts go into effect later this year. In addition, starting probably Wednesday, the national branch of the union is planning a radio ad campaign.

It’s all to publicize MARTA’s plight as it draws up cuts for up to 30 percent of its service, to fill a $120 million gap for operations. MARTA hopes to drive home the effect the cuts will have on Atlanta commuters, both the ones in the buses and the ones on streets who may have to deal with extra traffic if the riders switch to driving.

Posted via email from Jim Nichols for GA State House