ATLANTA --- It's still unclear whether a new proposal for expanding the Medical College of Georgia will be enough to break the legislative deadlock that has dogged plans to open a branch campus in Athens for more than a year.

Not surprisingly, Athens lawmakers and some from Savannah have moved to embrace the recommendations from consultant Tripp Umbach. But Augusta lawmakers have, for the most part, been guarded with their comments or openly unhappy with the proposal.

Athens lawmakers are hoping that some of the other portions of the plan, including its focus on expansion at MCG's core campus, will calm the fears of Augusta-area lawmakers, who worry that MCG's focus will drift to the campus practically next door to the state's flagship university.

"If we don't get our rear end in gear real soon, we're going to have a crisis on our hands. ... The further you put this thing out, the worse it's going to get," said Rep. Bob Smith, R-Watkinsville, who heads the legislative panel overseeing higher-education spending.

"It behooves us to get beyond the little area we represent and be statesmen," said Rep. Keith Heard, D-Athens. "It's not about Athens versus Augusta."

Fearing a potential drift away from Augusta, area lawmakers last year tried to slow down a provision in Gov. Sonny Perdue's budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 that would have begun the Athens-area expansion. The General Assembly watered down the language, leading the University System of Georgia to take another look at how to expand the college.

The result was Tripp Umbach's report.

"I think this report makes it clear that it is not an either-or proposition," said Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens.

Augusta lawmakers are still unsure. Sen. Ed Tarver, D-Augusta, said he's asked for a meeting with Tripp Umbach "to make sure that the information we are getting is accurate."

Mr. Tarver said his constituents are still worried about the plan.

"Folks are still concerned; to the extent there is substantial capacity in Augusta that the consultants identified, it should be utilized first," Mr. Tarver said. "Any need for expansion outside of Augusta should have a lower priority."

Some lawmakers are less skeptical.

"I like the fact that there's a proposal out there," said Rep. Quincy Murphy, D-Augusta. "First of all, it was done by a party that has no special interests."

Others have been virtually silent. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ben Harbin, the Evans Republican instrumental in the efforts to slow down the MCG proposal last year, had little to say about the report.

Mr. Smith said the General Assembly needs to move forward with medical education expansion. He pointed to population estimates showing Georgia, a state that already has a shortage of doctors, is expected to add 1 million residents in as little as seven years.

Mr. Cowsert said he has been working to convince Augusta lawmakers that "this isn't some power grab by the University of Georgia," reassuring them: "It's something that is much smaller in scale than MCG in Augusta."

The consultant's report has given Athens-area lawmakers ammunition to argue that the kind of expansion needed for the state's medical education system can't be limited to Augusta.

"Under this plan, Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine's Augusta campus will have more medical students per capita than anywhere else in the nation," it says.

Paul Umbach, the president of the consulting firm and the leader of the team that looked at the possibilities for expansion, said growth beyond what is recommended in the report could threaten MCG's accreditation.

The plan has picked up support among at least one influential member of the Savannah delegation, based largely on the report's recommendation that a residency program there be expanded from 118 positions to 140 by 2020.

"The medical schools keep positions there, draw patients and research," said Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson, R-Savannah. "The professors are well paid, the best paid generally in the (University) System, if not among all state employees. So not only is it better health care for Savannah, it's economic development for Savannah."

Walter C. Jones contributed to this report.