HB1286: HB1286 Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority; position of director of planning; abolish

Georgia law currently gives the Department of Transportation's director of planning specific responsibilities for developing the state's strategic transportation plan, freight and logistics plan, and other planning documents, working alongside the commissioner and the Planning Division. This bill would abolish that director of planning position entirely. The bill rewrites numerous sections of Georgia's transportation code (Title 32) to strike references to the director of planning and hand those duties to the commissioner of transportation instead. It also updates a related definition used in Georgia's special district transportation sales tax law (O.C.G.A. § 48-8-242, known as TSPLOST) to reflect that the director of planning position will no longer exist after July 1, 2026. It repeals the code section that created the director of planning role and adjusts the law governing the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority's coordination on the Concept 3 transit proposal to reference the commissioner instead of the director.

• Repeals O.C.G.A. § 32-2-43, the code section that created and defined the director of planning position at the Department of Transportation.
• Transfers the director of planning's duties over the state-wide strategic transportation plan, freight and logistics plan, and transportation improvement program to the commissioner of transportation.
• Removes the director of planning from the list of officials making up the Department of Transportation under O.C.G.A. § 32-2-1.
• Updates the TSPLOST tax law's definition (O.C.G.A. § 48-8-242) to note the director of planning position existed only until July 1, 2026.
• Changes the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority law (O.C.G.A. § 50-39-5) so the commissioner, not the director of planning, works with the Atlanta Regional Commission on the Concept 3 transit proposal.
• Assigns the commissioner responsibility for allocation formulas used for local road maintenance grants and state-wide asset management and improvement programs under O.C.G.A. § 32-5-27.

The change directly affects the Georgia Department of Transportation's internal leadership structure, including the commissioner of transportation and the Planning Division staff. It also touches the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and local governments that receive maintenance and improvement grants tied to department planning decisions.

By folding planning duties into the commissioner's office, the bill changes who is legally responsible for developing Georgia's long-range transportation plans, freight strategies, and funding formulas that affect road construction, maintenance grants to local governments, and coordination on Atlanta-area transit planning.

• Section 1 removes the director of planning from the statutory list of officials composing the Department of Transportation.
• Section 2 revises definitions in O.C.G.A. § 32-2-22 and shifts responsibilities for reviewing transportation plans and developing the state-wide strategic plan from the director to the commissioner.
• Sections 3 through 6 amend multiple code sections (32-2-41, 32-2-41.1, 32-2-41.2, 32-2-41.4) to replace 'director' with 'commissioner' for duties including annual reports on construction benchmarks and freight planning.
• Section 7 repeals O.C.G.A. § 32-2-43, eliminating the legal basis for the director of planning position.
• Section 8 revises O.C.G.A. § 32-5-27 so the commissioner, not the director, helps develop allocation formulas for transportation asset management, asset improvement, and local maintenance grant programs.
• Section 10 amends the TSPLOST definitions law (O.C.G.A. § 48-8-242) to reflect that the director of planning existed only until July 1, 2026.
• Section 11 revises O.C.G.A. § 50-39-5 so the commissioner, rather than the director of planning, coordinates with the Atlanta Regional Commission on the Concept 3 transit proposal.

1. 2026-02-17House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-12House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-11House Hopper (House)

• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)Primary sponsor
• Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
• John LaHood (R, HD-175)
• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)
• Al Williams (D, HD-168)

• transportation planning
• Department of Transportation
• Atlanta transit
• government reorganization
• TSPLOST