CONYERS — Rockdale County was included in a proposed special sales tax district to fund transportation projects that was announced Thursday by members of the Democratic House and Senate caucuses at the Georgia General Assembly.

The proposal is called the Transportation Jobs Development Act and if approved would add an amendment to the Georgia Constitution that would levy a 1 percent sales tax to fund transportation projects within newly defined special tax districts. The amendment would also dedicate the fourth penny collected on motor fuel to any general transportation purpose.

According to a statement announcing the legislation, the fourth penny for motor fuel tax generated more than $137 million in the last fiscal year.

Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown called the proposed legislation “a first shot” at tackling transportation funding issues that had remained in gridlock in General Assembly sessions over the past three years.

“It’s important for leaders to lead on issues as important as transportation is to Georgia,” said Brown, a Macon legislator. “We’re losing jobs in transportation and federal funding, so we have to act now.”

The constitutional amendment would create a metropolitan transportation district concurrent with the 10-county Atlanta Regional Commission region. Along with Rockdale, the ARC region includes Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties.

According to the statement, management and supervision of the district would come from a district board consisting of elected officials from ARC member counties.

Brown said the emphasis of the legislation was local control. Elected officials would sit on a regional board to oversee transportation projects funded. Counties could also opt out of the sales tax within 45 days of the passing of the resolution creating the sales tax district.

The bill provides for at least 50 percent of the sales tax to be used for transit within the defined region, with the exception of Fulton and DeKalb counties. Fulton and DeKalb counties already collect a 1 percent sales tax to fund MARTA.

Brown said Fulton and DeKalb counties would not be required to use the tax revenue for transit, but could opt in for general transportation projects such as roads interchanges, multi-use paths, sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

The most promising transportation funding legislation for this General Assembly session would allow a special purpose local option sales tax that would fund regional transportation projects and is referred to as a T-SPLOST.

As with local SPLOST, voters would have to approve a regional T-SPLOST through a referendum. However, the legislation announced Wednesday would not require voter approval for projects.

Brown added that counties beyond the ARC transportation district could be allowed to form inter-governmental agreements with other counties to create a T-SPLOST.

Sen. Jeff Mullis, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, called on state legislators to make an effort to pass effective transportation legislation this year.

“I’m glad to see the Democrats have come out with a similar plan to what the Senate offered the House last year, which still remains active in the Transportation Conference Committee,” Mullis said in a written response to Wednesday’s announcement.

“Transportation is not a partisan issue. We should all come together, as we did in the Senate, to work on solutions that are best for all Georgians.”