A bill that could pave the way for a major expansion of road and rail funding cleared a Georgia House committee Thursday.

House Bill 617 would create a new Georgia Freight 2050 Program to address highway widenings, interchange improvements, rail crossings and other improvements needed to keep freight moving. The bill would create a budget fund but does not contain any funding for those improvements.

Lawmakers have been discussing how to pay for them, but it’s unclear whether they will propose a funding measure this session.

Two years ago, a legislative committee recommended Georgia spend an additional $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year to address freight transportation needs. The committee’s report said the money could come from a variety of sources, including transportation user fees, levies on home-delivered packages, new fuel taxes and assessments on warehouse and distribution facilities.

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Georgia lawmakers approved a variety of new tax breaks this year. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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