A plan to help the halls of fame in Macon stay open by raising the hotel tax could move forward in the state legislature.

The bill to raise the hotel motel tax in Macon by a penny technically died last week in the house when it didn’t make the cross over cut. But Macon Senator Cecil Staton says he’ll fight for it in the senate by attaching it to a similar bill that raises the Atlanta hotel tax to fund the Georgia Dome.

"If it’s good enough for Atlanta, it ought to be good enough for other areas of the state including my district and including the city of Macon where we’re desperately trying to hold on to those two halls of fame," says Staton.

He says that the tax is crucial to the Sports and Music Halls of Fame as they manage state budget cuts.

"Without it, it’s going to be very difficult for them ,they’re going face significant reducations in personnel, they may not be able to open as often as they are now, they may to restrict hours of operation. So it's very important."

Staton says the hotel tax will also help them move toward self sufficiency.

Tags: lawmakers, budget cuts, Macon, Georgia Music hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia Dome, Georgia budget crisis, Senator Cecil Staton, hotel tax, Atlanta hotel tax