HB297: HB297 Ad valorem tax; define multipurpose off-highway vehicle; provisions

Georgia currently has two separate state transit bodies, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and the Atlanta-region Transit Link 'ATL' Authority. This bill eliminates GRTA outright and reorganizes the ATL Authority into a new single body called the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority. All of GRTA's and ATL's assets, contracts, debts, and employees would move to the new authority, which gets a 13-member board (8 appointed by the Governor, 2 by the Senate President, 2 by the House Speaker, plus the commissioner of transportation) and broad powers to plan, fund, and operate transit projects statewide. The bill also extends the deadline for MARTA's dedicated sales tax through June 30, 2067, updates definitions and procedures used in the multicounty and transit special purpose local option sales taxes (SPLOST), and abolishes the Governor's Development Council, removing its role in reviewing the state solid waste management plan and regional commission goals. The changes take effect as soon as the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law.

• Repeals the chapter of Georgia law creating the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and reserves that section of the code.
• Renames and restructures the Atlanta-region Transit Link 'ATL' Authority as the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, giving it GRTA's former assets, debts, and employees.
• Creates a 13-member governing board for the new authority, with members appointed by the Governor, the Senate President, and the House Speaker, plus the commissioner of transportation.
• Extends the authorization for the MARTA sales and use tax (levied under the MARTA Act) through June 30, 2067.
• Revises multiple definitions and notice procedures used in the transit special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) and multicounty transportation SPLOST programs across several Code sections.
• Abolishes the Governor's Development Council and removes its former role in reviewing the state solid waste management plan and regional commission planning goals.

The bill affects employees of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the ATL Authority, who would transfer to the new Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority; MARTA riders and Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, and other metro Atlanta county governments involved in transit sales taxes; and state agencies like the Department of Community Affairs and Department of Transportation that coordinate with these authorities.

Consolidating two transit agencies into one changes who controls transit planning, funding approvals, and federal grant designations across Georgia, particularly in metro Atlanta. Extending MARTA's sales tax authorization to 2067 locks in a funding source riders and local governments rely on for decades longer than under current law.

• Section 1-1 repeals Chapter 32 of Title 50, eliminating GRTA entirely and marking the chapter as reserved.
• Section 1-2 reenacts Chapter 39 of Title 50 as the 'Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority Act,' defining terms like 'transit,' 'compliance zone county,' and 'project,' and establishing the new authority's structure (O.C.G.A. § 50-39-1 et seq.).
• Code Section 50-39-4 transfers all GRTA and ATL Authority assets, contracts, real property, and employees to the new authority without loss of retirement or leave benefits for staff.
• Code Section 50-39-5 sets board composition and terms, and Code Section 50-39-11 lists the authority's powers, including planning, financing, and operating transit projects and receiving federal transit funds.
• Section 3-5 adds Code Section 32-9-13.1, extending the MARTA sales and use tax authorization through June 30, 2067.
• Sections 2-1 through 2-3 revise definitions and referendum/notice procedures for the Transit SPLOST under Article 5B of Chapter 8 of Title 48.
• Section 3-14 repeals Article 6 of Chapter 12 of Title 45, abolishing the Governor's Development Council.
• Section 4-1 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law without signature.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 708
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-04-02Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
6. 2026-04-02House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (House)
7. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
8. 2026-03-31Senate Third Read (Senate)

• Victor Anderson (R, HD-010)Primary sponsor
• Trey Rhodes (R, HD-124)
• Steven Meeks (R, HD-178)
• Noel Williams (R, HD-148)
• David Huddleston (R, HD-072)
• Jutt Howard (R, HD-071)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   168 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #182

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 16, 2026

   32 yea, 17 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)

   Motion To Withdraw And Commit: Senate Vote #718

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   30 yea, 19 nay (0 not voting, 5 absent)

   Motion For The Previous Question: Senate Vote #901

4. FailedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   18 yea, 30 nay (1 not voting, 5 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #3 By The Senator From The 2nd: Senate Vote #902

5. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   30 yea, 19 nay (0 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #903

6. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   131 yea, 40 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Agree To Senate Sub As Am: House Vote #841

7. PassedSenate voteApril 3, 2026

   38 yea, 14 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Agree To House Amendment To Senate Substitute: Senate Vote #985

• public transit
• MARTA sales tax
• GRTA
• transportation authority
• SPLOST