Officers of transportation and infrastructure committees from across the South convened in Atlanta for the 2019 Transportation Chairs Consortium to discuss important transportation and infrastructure issues facing the region. Representatives from 10 SLC states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia – participated in the two-day event.
The Consortium was organized by the SLC to provide participants an opportunity to discuss state-specific and regional policy issues, including the status of infrastructure in the South; successful transportation funding initiatives; technological impacts on transportation and infrastructure; U.S. ports’ and waterways’ contribution to regional economic growth; and effectively utilizing public-private partnerships for transportation expansion and modernization. Presentations were given by the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Georgia Ports Authority, Georgia Department of Transportation, and AT&T.
Participants also discussed transportation policy with each other during scheduled roundtable discussions, allowing them to identify common transportation and infrastructure problems, share best practices and impediments, and review recently enacted legislation. In the process, it provided participants with a better understanding of other states’ efforts and successes, along with existing challenges.
The Consortium, provided solely by the SLC, was hosted by Senator Steve Gooch, Georgia, and Representative Nathaniel Ledbetter, Alabama, vice chair of SLC’s Economic Development, Transportation & Cultural Affairs Committee. Other participants included:
- Representative Lynn Greer, Alabama
- Representative Mike Holcomb, Arkansas
- Representative Geraldine F. Thompson, Florida
- Senator Brandon Beach, Georgia
- Abby Day, Policy Analyst, Georgia
- Senator Ernie Harris, Kentucky
- Senator Jimmy Higdon, Kentucky
- Representative Ken Upchurch, Kentucky
- Senator Doug Libla, Missouri
- Representative Becky Ruth, Missouri
- Senator Micheal Bergstrom, Oklahoma
- Representative Ronny Johns, Oklahoma
- Rick Fulmer, Staff Attorney, South Carolina
- Senator Larry Grooms, South Carolina
- Representative Tommy Stringer, South Carolina
- Representative Dan Howell, Tennessee
- Senator Becky Massey, Tennessee
- Delegate Jim Butler, West Virginia
- Senator Charles Clements, West Virginia