SB 131- Georgia Major Airport Authority Act
On Wednesday, Senate Bill 131 was introduced by Senator Burt Jones (R-Jackson) to create a state authority to oversee the now-Atlanta controlled Hartsfield-Jackson airport. Atlanta touts the Hartsfield-Jackson airport as Georgia’s largest economic asset, with an estimated regional impact of $64 billion and 448,696 jobs.
In December 2018, a Senate study committee led by Senator Jones examined a state takeover of the airport and recommended the creation of a state authority to oversee the economic asset. In support of the state authority, the study committee cited Atlanta’s recent bribery scandals and probes into misuse of airport funds and best practices for airport management. SB 131 is cosponsored in the Senate by four fellow study committee members, Brandon Beach, Mike Dugan, Tyler Harper, and Jeff Mullis, and one Senator not on the committee, Matt Brass.
The bill as written would create a state authority to oversee the airport controlled by the state legislature and constitutional officers, removing control of the airport from the city of Atlanta. Both the city of Atlanta and Delta Air Lines have vocally opposed the takeover discussions.
A complete analysis of the state takeover attempt was completed in January 2019. As discussed then, the state legislators wishing to create an airport authority will need to circumvent the Federal Aviation Administration, which has doomed state takeover attempts in other states.
About Author
Zack Lindsey
Double dawg that's getting his JD. Interested in economics, the law, international affairs, and other--less nerdy--things.
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Yeah, because an Authority wholly peopled with state politicians and their appointees will be less political and better overseers than the Atlanta Mayor.
They’re state politicians that have yet to even express concern, let alone do anything, about an 80,000 vote undercount in the Lt Gov’s race, so you know good governance is a primary concern of theirs.
Given that the State has shown they can’t even run a competent Ethics Commission,
why should they control the Airport?
What Dave Bearse said. The proposed bill would put state pols rather than local pols in charge of the airport. That would be great for the gov, lg, and speaker and their cronies and contributors but for no one else. It’s another effort to find solutions where there’s no problem.
According to your first article (which I missed first time around; thanks for the link) the FAA would be very much involved in any transfer of authority. Do you know if anyone has filed or plans to file requests for their approval?
Under the proposed legislation, the state authority is delegated the authority to petition the FAA for transfer, so it will most likely come from the authority. (6-6-6). The legislation doesn’t create an immediate transfer of the airport, only the state power to do so. The FAA petition will take several months to potentially years to complete, and the authority will need to address numerous issues including financial issues, property transfers, use of city services, etc.
Relevant Part of Legislation
6-6-6 (4) In connection with any project and subject to prior approval from the federal government, to acquire by purchase, lease, condemnation, or otherwise and to hold, lease, and dispose of real and personal property of every kind and character or any interest therein in furtherance of its corporate purposes;
What do all of these have in common:
1) Plant Vogtle
2) Go Fish
3) Exact Match
4) Voter purges
5) Corruption at the highest levels (See Ralston, Perdue and Deal)
Hint: something to do with state oversight!
I will not deny that the airport has been a cash cow for mayors and their cohorts for decades. That being said let’s address that issue in the future as it arises not by just adding more pigs to the trough.
Zack, you seem to have a better sense of this than me, what’s the motivation for a state takeover? Is there anything outside of “we don’t want Democrats in Atlanta to have control of this massive economic asset”?
I don’t think the issue is purely political. A state authority would have a more statewide lens on airport management decisions, like opening a second airport. Additionally, from a management standpoint, state authorities generally have more airport management expertise and stability over the long term than airports run by departments of the city or state. The report from Olver Wyman on airport transfers, which is cited in the study committee findings, contains the legitimate policy reasons for a change in airport management. Found here: http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/documents/airport%20governance%20study/20130501%20clt%20airport%20governance%20ow%20vf.pdf
i’m too lazy to look it up myself…are other large airports (jfk, ohare, lax…for instance) controlled by municipalities or states?
There is some precedent in Charlotte v. North Carolina as Zack noted last month:
https://www.georgiapol.com/2019/01/25/real-talk-why-the-state-cant-just-takeover-the-hartsfield-jackson-airport/
Don’t know about the other big ones you named.
LAX is owned and run by the city of Los Angeles.
ORD and MDW are run by the Chicago Aviation Authority and owned by the City of Chicago.
DFW is owned by the Cities of Dallas and Fort Worth.
DEN is owned by the City and County of Denver.
The City of New York owns LGA and JFK and the airports are operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority also operates EWR (which is owned by the City of Newark)
SFO – despite being in San Mateo County – is owned by the City and County of San Francisco.
LAS is owned by Clark County, Nevada.
SEA is owned and operated by the Port of Seattle, whose commissioners are voted on by Kings County residents.
CLT is owned by the City of Charlotte.
MCO is owned and operated by the City of Orlando.
MIA is owned and operated by Miami-Dade County.
PHX is owned by the City of Phoenix and run by the Phoenix Airport System.
IAH is owned by the City of Houston.
As a long ago former metro Detroit resident, I’ll add that Detroit Metropolitan Airport DTW is owned by Wayne County. I’m certain it’s among the 20 largest ariport’s in the US.
The only one I know of is the MAC (Metropolitan Airport Commission ?) that controls the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and about 6 other Twin City metro airports. If my high school class trip memory is correct, it was formed during WW II to help move people and military equipment out to the troops between the airports and the rail road. MSP is either in or near part of the original Fort Snelling 1810’s military fortification grounds on the upper Mississippi River. The Ft Snelling National Cemetery is about 1000 feet and a service road away from the east west runway pass. I know Amtrak has a station about a mile away they also run.
I think the commission default is the mayors of both Minneapolis & Saint Paul, and then 6 or 8 appointed from the Twin City metro and 4 appointed from the rest of the state.
MSP is one of my favorite airports. Easy to get to – especially now that the light rail runs to St. Paul – lots of good food options, very efficiently run.
You no doubt know it, like ATL and DTW, is a Delta hub. Hubs at well-run airports are a reason Delta is so successful.