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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:		FR:	02/04/00	LA:	02/07/00	H - Read 2nd Time

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                                            LC 25 1605 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                        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 routes for, within, and throughout this state and to 
  1- 6  nearby states for purposes of state planning and development 
  1- 7  and commencement of service; to provide legislative findings 
  1- 8  and 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 routes which is comprehensive, 
  1-25      coordinated, and prioritized for purposes of state 
  1-26      planning and development and commencement 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      routes. 
 
 
 
 
 
                                 -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 and 
  2- 8    commencement of service there is created a comprehensive, 
  2- 9    coordinated, and prioritized state-wide system of railway 
  2-10    routes 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 Service System and shall 
  2-14    include the following railway routes in order of priority: 
 
  2-15      (1) Atlanta-Athens; 
 
  2-16      (2) Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport-Macon; 
 
  2-17      (3) Macon-Jesup-Brunswick; 
 
  2-18      (4) Macon-Americus-Albany; 
 
  2-19      (5) Macon-Houston County-Valdosta; 
 
  2-20      (6) Macon-Douglas-Waycross; 
 
  2-21      (7) Macon-Savannah; 
 
  2-22      (8) Atlanta-Gainesville; 
 
  2-23      (9) Atlanta-Augusta; 
 
  2-24      (10) Atlanta-Columbus; 
 
  2-25      (11) Atlanta-Bremen; 
 
  2-26      (12) Atlanta-Canton; 
 
  2-27      (13) Atlanta-Cartersville; 
 
  2-28      (14) Jesup-Waycross-Jacksonville, Florida; 
 
  2-29      (15) Savannah-Jesup-Jacksonville, Florida; 
 
  2-30      (16) Gainesville-Greenville, South Carolina; 
 
  2-31      (17) Albany-Tallahassee, Florida; 
 
  2-32      (18) Bremen-Birmingham, Alabama; and 
 
  2-33      (19) Atlanta-Chattanooga, Tennessee. 
 
 
 
                                 -2- 
 
 
 
  3- 1    46-9-291. 
 
  3- 2    (a) Any and all railway passenger service plans or 
  3- 3    programs of any and all state departments, agencies, 
  3- 4    boards, bureaus, commissions, or authorities having 
  3- 5    responsibility for the same shall be conducted and 
  3- 6    coordinated so as to conform planning, development, and 
  3- 7    commencement of service to the routes and priorities of 
  3- 8    the system provided by this article. 
 
  3- 9      (b)(1) No railway passenger service program of any state 
  3-10      department, agency, board, bureau, commission, or 
  3-11      authority shall commence any regular railway passenger 
  3-12      service, whether such service is provided directly or 
  3-13      pursuant to contract, on any route prior to the 
  3-14      commencement of regular railway passenger service on at 
  3-15      least a portion of each route of a higher priority as 
  3-16      provided by this article. 
 
  3-17      (2) No railway passenger service program of any state 
  3-18      department, agency, board, bureau, commission, or 
  3-19      authority shall commence terminus to terminus regular 
  3-20      railway passenger service, whether such service is 
  3-21      provided directly or pursuant to contract, on any route 
  3-22      prior to the commencement of terminus to terminus 
  3-23      regular railway passenger service on each route of a 
  3-24      higher priority as provided by this article. 
 
  3-25      (3) This subsection shall not prohibit state planning 
  3-26      and development short of commencement of railway 
  3-27      passenger service from proceeding simultaneously for any 
  3-28      one or more routes listed in this article." 
 
  3-29                           SECTION 3. 
 
  3-30  This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the 
  3-31  Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval. 
 
  3-32                           SECTION 4. 
 
  3-33  All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are 
  3-34  repealed. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                 -3-