Georgia voters would be asked to decide whether to tack a $10 fee on their car registration to fund the state’s cash-strapped network of trauma hospitals under a resolution that cleared the state Senate on Tuesday.

The constitutional amendment passed 48-8, easily earning the needed two-thirds majority.

If it passes muster in the House, the issue would go before Georgia voters at the ballot box in 2010.

The Senate plan is one of three separate trauma care funding measures winding its way though the state Legislature this session

The House on Monday passed a separate bill that would bolster trauma centers with fees from so-called super speeders. That plan – pushed by Gov. Sonny Perdue – would slap drivers with an additional $200 fine if they’re busted for topping 85 mph on four-lane roads and interstate highways, or 75 mph on two-lane roads. Perdue estimates the initiative would raise about $23 million each year.

Later this week, key House GOP leaders are expected to push through a bill to fund the system by replacing the annual car tag tax with a new, one-time fee on car sales.

The legislative proposals all target drivers because officials say motor vehicle accidents account for almost three-quarters of all trauma injuries in Georgia.

RNT