Bill would let DOT ignore state law

Removing fines for state violations would make the DOT unaccountable for abuse of state laws that apply to all others in the construction business. Right now, if a project gets fined, it’s likely that someone in the DOT will demand an explanation and make sure the violation is (a) corrected and (b) doesn’t happen again because the fine comes out of the DOT budget.

Epps would remove all incentive for the DOT to protect the state’s waterways and would, in effect, be telling the public to “do as we say, not as we do.”

Georgia agencies should be subject to Georgia laws, period. Exempting the DOT from soil erosion laws sends the message that the state finds itself above the very laws that it enacts. That’s the height of arrogance.