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HB 1348 - Railway passenger service routes; establish

Smith, Tommy (169th)	Benefield, Jimmy W (96th)	Coleman, Terry L (142nd)
Walker, Larry (141st)	Skipper, Jimmy (137th)	Smyre, Calvin (136th)

Status Summary	HC:	Trans	SC:	Trans	FR:	02/04/00	LA:	03/16/00	S - Favorably Reported (CSFA ) (Sub )

First Reader Summary

A BILL to amend Chapter 9 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to transportation of freight and passengers generally, so as to establish a comprehensive, coordinated, and prioritized system of railway passenger service routes for, within, and throughout this state and to nearly states for purposes of state planning and development and commencement of service; and for other purposes.

Code Sections - 46-9-290/ 46-9-291

HB 1348                                          HB 1348/CSFA 
 
      H. B. No. 1348 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE) (AM) 
      By:  Representatives Smith of the 169th, Benefield of the 
      96th, Coleman of the 142nd, Walker of the 141st, Skipper of 
      the 137th and others 
 
                        A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 
                               AN ACT 
 
 
  1- 1  To amend Chapter 9 of Title 46 of the Official Code of 
  1- 2  Georgia Annotated, relating to transportation of freight and 
  1- 3  passengers generally, so as to establish a comprehensive, 
  1- 4  coordinated, and prioritized system of railway passenger 
  1- 5  service corridors for, within, and throughout this state and 
  1- 6  to nearby states for purposes of state planning and 
  1- 7  development of service; to provide legislative findings and 
  1- 8  declarations; to provide an effective date; to repeal 
  1- 9  conflicting laws; and for other purposes. 
 
  1-10       BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: 
 
  1-11                           SECTION 1. 
 
  1-12  The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: 
 
  1-13      (1) The establishment of railway passenger service to 
  1-14      the general public and connecting points within and 
  1-15      throughout this state and to nearby states will develop 
  1-16      and promote, for the public good and general welfare of 
  1-17      this state, trade, commerce, tourism, industry, and 
  1-18      employment opportunities while alleviating highway 
  1-19      traffic congestion and related air pollution. 
 
  1-20      (2) Any implementation of such railway passenger service 
  1-21      which meets the needs and promotes the general welfare 
  1-22      of this state as a whole while making the best and most 
  1-23      efficient use of resources requires a system of railway 
  1-24      passenger service corridors which is comprehensive, 
  1-25      coordinated, and prioritized for purposes of state 
  1-26      planning and development of service. 
 
  1-27      (3) It is therefore in the public interest and is vital 
  1-28      to the public welfare of the people of Georgia, and it 
  1-29      is declared to be the public purpose of this Act, to 
  1-30      establish such a system of railway passenger service 
  1-31      corridors in the order of priority provided by Code 
  1-32      Section 46-9-290 as enacted by this Act. 
 
 
 
 
                                 -1- 
 
 
 
  2- 1                           SECTION 2. 
 
  2- 2  Chapter 9 of Title 46 of the Official Code of Georgia 
  2- 3  Annotated, relating to transportation of freight and 
  2- 4  passengers generally, is amended by adding a new Article 9A 
  2- 5  to read as follows: 
 
 
 
  2- 6    46-9-290. 
 
  2- 7    For purposes of state planning and development of service 
  2- 8    there is created a comprehensive, coordinated, and 
  2- 9    prioritized state-wide system of railway passenger service 
  2-10    corridors for providing railway passenger service to the 
  2-11    general public and connecting points within and throughout 
  2-12    this state and to nearby states, which shall be known as 
  2-13    the Georgia Railway Passenger Program and shall include 
  2-14    the following railway passenger service corridors in order 
  2-15    of priority: 
 
  2-16      (1) Atlanta-Athens; 
 
  2-17      (2) Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport-Macon; 
 
  2-18      (3) Macon-Jesup-Brunswick; 
 
  2-19      (4) Macon-Americus-Albany; 
 
  2-20      (5) Macon-Houston County-Valdosta; 
 
  2-21      (6) Macon-Douglas-Waycross-Jacksonville, Florida; 
 
  2-22      (7) Macon-Savannah; 
 
  2-23      (8) Atlanta-Columbus; 
 
  2-24      (9) Atlanta-Augusta; 
 
  2-25      (10) Atlanta-Gainesville; 
 
  2-26      (11) Atlanta-Bremen; 
 
  2-27      (12) Atlanta-Canton; 
 
  2-28      (13) Atlanta-Cartersville; 
 
  2-29      (14) Jesup-Waycross-Jacksonville, Florida; 
 
  2-30      (15) Gainesville-Greenville, South Carolina; 
 
  2-31      (16) Albany-Tallahassee, Florida; 
 
  2-32      (17) Bremen-Birmingham, Alabama; and 
 
  2-33      (18) Atlanta-Chattanooga, Tennessee. 
 
 
 
                                 -2- 
 
 
 
  3- 1    Nothing in this Code section shall preclude or delay state 
  3- 2    involvement in the planning and development of high speed 
  3- 3    rail for the Atlanta to Chattanooga, TN railway passenger 
  3- 4    service corridor, should federal or private funds be made 
  3- 5    available for such high speed rail. 
 
  3- 6    For the purposes of this provision, "high speed rail" is 
  3- 7    defined as involving trains traveling at maximum speeds 
  3- 8    ranging from 90 to 300 miles per hour. 
 
  3- 9    46-9-291. 
 
  3-10    (a) Any and all railway passenger service plans or 
  3-11    programs of any and all state departments, agencies, 
  3-12    boards, bureaus, commissions, or authorities having 
  3-13    responsibility for the same shall be conducted and 
  3-14    coordinated so as to conform planning and development of 
  3-15    service to the railway passenger service corridors of the 
  3-16    program provided by this article.  Such planning and 
  3-17    development of service shall follow the order of 
  3-18    priorities as set forth in this article unless it is 
  3-19    determined by the Board that the specified priorities, or 
  3-20    any portion thereof, are less feasible than other 
  3-21    priorities.  Such determination not to follow the 
  3-22    prescribed priority or priorities shall be by clear and 
  3-23    convincing evidence. 
 
  3-24    (b) Any state department, agency, board, bureau, 
  3-25    commission, or authority having responsibility for any 
  3-26    railway passenger service planning or programming may 
  3-27    recommend any additional railway passenger service 
  3-28    corridor or corridors to the General Assembly for 
  3-29    inclusion in the Georgia Railway Passenger Program after 
  3-30    completion of a feasibility study for such proposed 
  3-31    additional railway passenger service corridor or 
  3-32    corridors, but no railway passenger service corridor shall 
  3-33    be a part of the Georgia Railway Passenger Program unless 
  3-34    and until it is included in the list provided by Code 
  3-35    Section 46-9-290." 
 
  3-36                           SECTION 3. 
 
  3-37  This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the 
  3-38  Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval. 
 
  3-39                           SECTION 4. 
 
  3-40  All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are 
  3-41  repealed. 
 
 
 
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