As of Friday, December 7, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Clayton News Daily
State Rep. Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta)
ATLANTA — Legislation has been pre-filed to create a transportation authority that could bring bus service and commuter rail to part of the Southern Crescent.
State Rep. Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta) has pre-filed House Bill 6, which would create the “Piedmont Altamaha Transit Authority,” which would oversee transportation from the College Park and Forest Park areas to Macon.
“The authority is created for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, completing, developing, owning, operating, and maintaining a high-speed intercity and urban rail, tram, and bus transit system in the Counties of Bibb, Butts, Clayton, Henry and Monroe,” the legislation states.
If the legislation, which is co-sponsored by State Rep. Sandra Scott (D-Rex) and State Rep.-elect Valencia Stovall, who will represent the Riverdale area, would be a means to create the Atlanta-to-Macon commuter rail line that transit proponents have been pushing for years. It would also bring local bus service back to Clayton County for the first time since the Clayton County Board of Commissioners shut down the C-Tran bus service in 2010.
The bill is one 15 pieces of legislation Waites has submitted during the state House of Representatives’ pre-filing period. She is the only member of the Clayton County Legislative Delegation who has pre-filed any legislation.
Waites also filed a piece of local legislation to set the number of Forest Park City Council members needed to call a special meeting, remove the city manager, department head and council member, or to override the mayor’s veto, at three council members. Stovall is co-sponsoring the legislation.
Forest Park officials have sought to get that approved since 2010. City Manager John Parker said the city’s charter was changed to reduce the number of council members several years ago, but other parts of the charter were not changed to reflect the smaller size of the city council.
“It’s just a housekeeping measure,” Parker said.
Since it is a piece of local legislation, the majority of Clayton County’s seven representatives and two senators must sponsor it in each chamber of the General Assembly under state law. It was introduced during the 2011 legislative session, but never got far.
Waites has also pre-filed a piece of legislation that would set new requirements for school system policies that deal with “unloading children under 8 years of age from a school bus.”
Other pieces of legislation pre-filed by Waites cover: Drug-free zones; restraints used on female inmates at penal institutions; age requirements for education; citizens’ oversight of redistricting; sentencing of defendants found guilty of “crimes involving bias or prejudice;” public school funding; reporting of bullying incidents in schools; rights of blind students; farm-to-school programs; medicare and medicaid programs at the Georgia State War Veterans’ Home; income tax credits for volunteer firefighters and school dropout deterrents.
More like this story
- Legislative term reaching midpoint ( February 15, 2013 )
- Forest Park must wait another year to change charter ( March 30, 2012 )
- Waites working to make over District 60 ( March 29, 2012 )
- Jonesboro’s homestead exemption bill in peril ( February 28, 2013 )
- Tensions rise over Jonesboro referendum bill ( March 5, 2013 )
Comments
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
{{ "Atlanta-to-Macon commuter rail line that transit proponents have been pushing for years. It would also bring local bus service back to Clayton County for the first time since the Clayton County Board of Commissioners shut down the C-Tran bus service in 2010."))
.....I reckon that these worthless free loading legislators will be forcing us to bail out MARTA, and to pay for something that we don't use. Don't tax those that don't use this rail and bus service; Be honest, for once, and let the riders pay for it !!!
....Riddle Me with this :
If The C-Tran couldn't pay for itself, what makes these Legislators have this silly lopsided notion that this will be any different ?
..... Our chances to disenfranchise the stupidity in this county is slim to none..What's more Sad; We are also out numbered.
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
.......This is why everyone in the State of Georgia is laughing at Clayton County !!!
......Riddle Me With This :
.....How many of our Elected Officials, in Clayton County, are not members of The NAACP ?
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
...Riddle Me with This :
.......What part of "NO" does these worthless lopsided legislators not understand ?
.............."T-SPLOST Loses in Clayton"
(("With almost 18,000 ballots counted late Tuesday, the T-SPLOST failed in Clayton with only about 45 percent of the vote in favor. Only DeKalb and Fulton counties, each with about 48 percent in favor, did better."))
T-SPLOST loses in Clayton by Jim Massara
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
........State Rep. Keisha Waites (D-Atlanta) : (( "Other pieces of legislation pre-filed by Waites cover: Drug-free zones"))
........Creating "Drug Free Zones" will not deter the illegal use of drugs; No more than creating "Gun Free Zones" to deter the illegal use of guns.
....Our chances to disenfranchise the stupidity in this county is slim to none..What's more Sad; We are also out numbered.
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
......Abdul-Salaam. : “We have a ‘Plan B’ in place.”
http://www.news-daily.com/news/2012/aug/14/transit-advocates-call-marta-referendum/?c=56790
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
....This will fight will continue until we give in , and they will continue to demand more each time. At first, there was the C-Tran Buses, and now, they want the Buses, Rail, and Stations.
...Riddle Me with this :
....How Much More Can We Take, Before This Bubble Pops ?.
.....There are still some of us that buys food in this county, using our own money....Do they want to place another tax on our food ?
Robert 5 months, 1 week ago
Some people just don't get it. No means NO. It failed at the ballot and they still don't seem to understand that it isn't wanted by 90% of the people. Maybe if economic times were better and it could be proven that a bus service or train service would sustain itself but it hasn't, and it won't, so stop trying to force tax payers to pay for a service they won't use and do not want. You can keep changing the name but the product is still the same old rotten tomatoes whether you call it Marta, C-Tran or Piedmont Altamaha Transit Authority.
What happens to people when they get elected? It's like they turn deaf, dumb and blind.
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
.....These State Bills of legislation can be submitted every two years, until it is approved. It's out of our hands as voters, unless he can vote these lopsided legislators out of office.
Our chances to disenfranchise the stupidity in this county is slim to none..What's more Sad; We are also out numbered
MD 5 months, 1 week ago
Those idiots never give up. Just because they had buses where they came from, does not mean we need them here.
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
....Now they are demanding for : Not only buses, but a rail system too.
....Riddle me with this :
......I wonder how many of these officials has Swiss Bank Accounts or Hidden Bank Accounts in The Cayman Islands ?
Michael 5 months, 1 week ago
I won't be using the buses or the light rail system. Why then should I have to subsidize them? There has never been a light rail, or bus system that has proven itself to be self sustaining. Why would Waites think this would be any different?
Robert 5 months, 1 week ago
Because Government money is free money to be spent on anything and everything that gets votes.
From this article
Transit advocates call for MARTA referendum by Curt Yeomans
Funding was the main issue why commissioners argued C-Tran had to be shut down two years ago. They claimed at the time that it was operating with an $8 million deficit, but Abdul-Salaam argued that is normal for any public transportation system. She said no publicly-funded mass transit system in America makes money.
“You do it to provide a service, not to make a profit,” she said.
At least one Clayton County resident who attended the commission meeting was opposed to the idea of bringing MARTA to the county. Clayton County Republican Party President Carl Swensson said it should not be the taxpayers’ responsibility to “subsidize” mass transit for other people. He said the county’s population is not big enough to support a mass transit system.
Swensson and Abdul-Salaam argued over the funding issue after the commission meeting ended.
“We end up having to subsidize somebody else’s transportation — that is we, the taxpayers,” said Swensson.
Abdul-Salaam argued the riders would also be paying for the service.
“The people who ride the transit are taxpayers too, so who are we subsidizing?” she said.
Subsidized housing, subsidized food, subsidized pay checks, subsidized health care, subsidized child care, subsidized transportation. What's next?, subsidized clothing, subsidized escort services.
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
..."Subsidized' must be the magical password, for "Open Sez Me", by these Elected Officials to retrieve votes.
......Another Comic Relief to disrupt our disorder in this lopsided county.
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
..WHAT NEXT ?........"Subsidized' Dining Cars for The Rail System !!!!
Robert 5 months ago
Dining cars that accept EBT
OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
.....Giving the fact Roberta that is no longer committed to serve time as a State Representative in this county, and "Cares" so much about the citizens and their Bus Rides.........Maybe we can negotiate with Train her to be a Bus Driver, Give her an old school Bus, and we can save the county some money. Scratch by Our Backs and We will Scratch Her Back..Done Deal !!!
Robert 5 months, 1 week ago
Agreed, after all she wouldn't have to make a profit, she would be providing a service. Eat that for dinner tonight.
OscarKnight 3 months, 1 week ago
.....HB 6 : Transit Rail Bill :
2013-2014 Regular Session
HB 6 Piedmont Altamaha Transit Authority Act; enact
Sponsored By
(1) Waites, Keisha 60th
(2) Scott, Sandra 76th
(3) Stovall, Valencia 74th
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20132014/HB/6
(( " 1- To establish the Piedmont Altamaha Transit Authority; to provide a short title; to authorize 2 - such authority to acquire, construct, maintain, operate, and own a high-speed intercity and 3 - urban rail, tram, and bus transit system in the Counties of Bibb, Butts, Clayton, Henry, and 4 - Monroe; to provide for the membership and for the appointment of members of the authority 5 - and their term of tenure and compensation; to provide for meetings; to provide for the 6 - controlling of funds; to provide for powers; to provide for the issuance of contracts; to 7 - provide for the setting of rates, fares, tolls, and charges; to provide for construction of this 8 - Act; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; 9 - and for other purposes." ))
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The Clayton County Funnies by OscarKnight 5 months, 1 week ago
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