The constitutional amendment passed 136 to 35 on Thursday, easily earning the needed two-thirds majority.
Voters must still approve the measure in November. The House plan must also be reconciled with a version that passed the Senate.
The plan faced resistance from some Republicans on Thursday, who argued it went against conservative anti-tax principles.
"Clearly if you vote for this bill you are advocating a tax increase," said Rep. Mark Hatfield, R-Waycross.
But supporters - most citing metro-Atlanta's near-legendary traffic jams - said congestion on Georgia's roads is keeping families from spending time together.
House Speaker Glenn Richardson described missing the first pitch at his son's recent baseball game in suburban Cobb County, even though he had allowed what should have been plenty of time to make the drive from the Capitol in downtown Atlanta.
"It took one hour and 30 minutes to cover 15 miles," Richardson lamented.
"Let the people decide if they want to keep sitting in those cars and missing those ball games and those suppers with their families," Richardson said.
Businesses have also been pushing hard for the proposal. They say traffic problems are hurting their ability to recruit and keep companies.
Georgia's traffic woes are largely the result of rapid population growth, especially in metro Atlanta. The population shot up 11.6 percent between 2000 and 2005, and transportation funding has not kept pace.
The Legislature has been wrestling with how to fund improvements for several years without doing anything. The Department of Transportation is facing a more than $7 billion shortfall in the coming years for planned transportation projects.
The measure has pitted urban and suburban lawmakers against their rural counterparts, who oppose being forced to pay for what is largely seen as an Atlanta-area problem.
Under the measure that passed, groups of counties could band together into regional groups and could then levy the sales tax and could keep all the funds there. Voters - who must first approve the constitutional amendment to allow for the taxing authority - would also have to sign off on any tax increase if regional authorities decided road improvements are needed.
The resolution that passed Thursday would also dedicate the current 1-cent sales tax on motor fuels to transportation projects. That would strip about $190 million from the budget.
Gov. Sonny Perdue has said it is absurd that the Legislature is paving the way for a tax hike while it lobbies for huge tax cuts. The Senate is pushing for a 10 percent cut in the state income tax, while the House is pushing to eliminate the car tag tax.
Since the proposal is a resolution, it doesn't require Perdue's signature. The governor has suggested to some lawmakers that he may campaign against the plan if it's approved by the Legislature and heads to voters.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who presides over the Senate, said he was confident that a compromise could be reached between the House and Senate versions.
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/3/208472