--- title: HR 10. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; reaffirm its commitment to an extension of rail system along east side of Interstate 20 in South Dekalb County; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr10 cite_as: HR 10, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr10 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr10.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr10/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69316 date: 2025-01-15 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr9.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr11.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr10.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 10 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-01-13 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Viola Davis - Dar'shun Kendrick - Rhonda Taylor - Karen Bennett - Billy Mitchell text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR10/2025 upstream_id: 1916863 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - MARTA - public transit - DeKalb County - rail expansion - transit funding --- # HR 10. Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; reaffirm its commitment to an extension of rail system along east side of Interstate 20 in South Dekalb County; urge ## Text House Resolution 10 By: Representatives Davis of the 87th, Kendrick of the 95th, Taylor of the 92nd, Bennett of the 94th, and Mitchell of the 88th A RESOLUTION Urging the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority to reaffirm its commitment to an extension of the rail system along the east side of Interstate 20 in South DeKalb County; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, residents of South DeKalb County have paid a 1 percent sales tax to fund operations and capital improvements to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) since 1972; and WHEREAS, there has been no rail expansion in South DeKalb County while MARTA extended rail stations to Central DeKalb County in 1993 with Indian Creek Station and to North Fulton and North DeKalb counties in 1996 with Buckhead, Medical Center, and Dunwoody Stations and again in 2000 with Sandy Springs and North Springs Stations; and WHEREAS, the 9th and 13th amendments to the Rapid Transit Contract Agreement specify MARTA's priority to extend heavy rail beyond the Indian Creek Station to Stonecrest Mall; and WHEREAS, in April, 2012, the MARTA board of directors approved a heavy rail extension from the Indian Creek Station to run parallel along Interstate 285 South and continuing east along Interstate 20 to the Stonecrest Mall area as a locally preferred alternative; and WHEREAS, residents of South DeKalb County have limited access to the MARTA rail system; and WHEREAS, extension of the MARTA rail along the south/southeastern corridor of Interstate 20 would create opportunities for transit oriented development. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body express its support of an extension of heavy rail along the east side of Interstate 20 and urge the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority to reaffirm its commitment to an extension of the rail system in South DeKalb County. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body urge the elected officials from DeKalb County and the CEO and Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority to work together in developing a comprehensive mass transit plan for DeKalb County that includes heavy and light rail alternatives to extend the existing rail system from the City of Atlanta to the City of Stonecrest. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the CEO and members of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, the CEO of DeKalb County, and members of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges MARTA to reaffirm its long-standing commitment to extending heavy rail service into South DeKalb County along Interstate 20. ### Plain-language summary South DeKalb County residents have paid a 1 percent sales tax to fund the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) since 1972, but the area has never received a rail extension, even as other parts of metro Atlanta gained new stations in 1993, 1996, and 2000. This resolution notes that MARTA's own contract amendments and a 2012 board vote already identified extending heavy rail from the Indian Creek Station along Interstate 20 toward Stonecrest Mall as the preferred plan. The resolution formally expresses the House's support for that rail extension and urges MARTA to recommit to it. It also calls on DeKalb County officials and MARTA's leadership to jointly develop a full mass transit plan for the county covering both heavy and light rail options between Atlanta and Stonecrest. Copies would be sent to MARTA's CEO and board and to DeKalb County's CEO and commissioners. ### What it does - Expresses the House of Representatives' support for extending MARTA heavy rail along the east side of Interstate 20 in South DeKalb County. - Urges MARTA to reaffirm its previously approved commitment to this rail extension toward the Stonecrest Mall area. - Calls on DeKalb County elected officials and MARTA's CEO and Board of Directors to jointly create a comprehensive mass transit plan covering heavy and light rail options. - Directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to MARTA's CEO and board and to DeKalb County's CEO and Board of Commissioners. ### Who it affects South DeKalb County residents who have paid MARTA sales tax since 1972 without receiving rail service, MARTA's leadership and board, DeKalb County elected officials, and the City of Stonecrest, which the proposed rail extension would eventually reach. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no funding or legal mandate, but it puts the General Assembly on record backing a rail extension South DeKalb residents have sought for decades, potentially increasing pressure on MARTA and DeKalb County officials to act on a plan first approved in 2012. ### Key provisions - Recites that South DeKalb County has paid a 1 percent MARTA sales tax since 1972 without receiving a rail extension. - Notes that 1993, 1996, and 2000 rail expansions went to Central DeKalb, North Fulton, and North DeKalb, bypassing South DeKalb. - References the 9th and 13th amendments to the Rapid Transit Contract Agreement and MARTA's April 2012 board approval of a heavy rail extension from Indian Creek Station to Stonecrest Mall as the locally preferred alternative. - Resolves that the House supports the Interstate 20 rail extension and urges MARTA to reaffirm that commitment. - Resolves that DeKalb County officials and MARTA's CEO and board should jointly develop a comprehensive mass transit plan including heavy and light rail options to Stonecrest. - Directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to MARTA and DeKalb County leadership. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-01-13) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-01-15) - Sponsors: Viola Davis, Dar'shun Kendrick, Rhonda Taylor, Karen Bennett, Billy Mitchell - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69316 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr10.md?full=1