Lawmakers recap legislative session | DawsonNews.com

The state’s new transportation funding mechanism was among the key topics last week when Dawson County’s state delegation met to recap the 2015 legislative session.

Speaking to members of the local chamber of commerce on May 14, House Speaker David Ralston, Rep. Kevin Tanner and Sen. Steve Gooch agreed that attempting to solve the state’s transportation funding issues was among the most challenging tasks for lawmakers this year.

“We were operating on an outdated funding model. We really had let the discussion get past the point of improvements and enhancements into maintenance and repair,” Ralston said. “We’ve got hundreds and hundreds of bridges in this state that are in very defective condition.”

The General Assembly passed a bill in April that allocates an additional $1 billion annually to the state’s transportation needs.

Tanner said while many of his colleagues struggled with the bill, the vote was not difficult for him.

“We’re not able to maintain our road system, our rail system, and we’re not going to be able to continue to attract Mercedes or Caterpillar and all these major companies that the speaker and governor have worked so hard to bring to Georgia,” he said. “It’s a return on your investment and that’s the way I look at it. I believe it was the right thing to do for Georgia and moving us forward.”

via Lawmakers recap legislative session.