A bill that would abolish the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and the Atlanta-Regional Transportation Authority (The ATL) is making its way through the House, and it is expected to pass today — crossover day.

House Bill 1358, introduced just a week ago, would transfer all assets, obligations, liabilities and employees of both regional transportation agencies to the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), effectively eliminating the entities focused on Atlanta region transit and transportation.

The bill was passed by the House Transportation Committee on Monday on a partisan 6-0 vote by Republicans.

The six Republican sponsors of the bill are Rep. Victor Anderson, Rep. Jan Jones, Rep. Charles Martin, Rep. Jordan Ridley and Rep. Soo Hong.

If this bill is passed and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, it would have far-reaching implications for regional transportation, especially when it comes to who would have the power to spend money and make decisions.

“I am unable to comment on pending legislation,” wrote SRTA spokeswoman Ericka Bayonne in an email.

The Atlanta Regional Commission declined to comment on the bill.

MARTA spokeswoman Stephany Fisher wrote in a text: “We are neutral as it doesn’t impact our funding or service delivery.”

GRTA was formed during the administration of Gov. Roy Barnes to help expand transit throughout the Atlanta region. It created the X-Press bus system, which could be turned over to individual counties to operate if they so choose at the end of 2024.

Stay tuned for updates.

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