Gov. Brian Kemp proposed dipping deeper into Georgia’s bulging surplus to spend more than $1 billion on a massive road-building project and improvements to the state’s water and sewer infrastructure.
The governor outlined the spending Tuesday at the Georgia Chamber’s annual Eggs & Issues breakfast, where he also announced an expansion of the Georgia Match initiative to encourage high school students to continue their in-state education after graduation.
Kemp also used the platform to urge a room crammed with thousands of local officials and business executives to lobby their lawmakers to support his drive to overhaul litigation rules, making clear the forthcoming proposal is his “top legislative priority” in 2025. Still, he held back details of the plan for later this week.
The new infrastructure spending comes on the heels of Kemp’s decision last year to devote more than $2 billion to a spate of road and sewer projects, along with a new medical and dental school.
His proposal this year includes $530 million to beef up the state’s freight and logistics network, $250 million in local grants for road construction and $250 million for water and sewage improvements.
With roughly $16.5 billion in reserves, state lawmakers can afford to ratchet up spending. But with sputtering tax revenues and pressure to fund hurricane aid and tax rebates, Kemp is facing pressure to rein in the surplus spending.
Kemp also said he’ll back legislation to extend the reach of the Georgia Match program, a direct admissions initiative that sends every Georgia high school senior letters informing them which in-state public colleges they can attend.
The governor wants to incorporate the program into “individual graduation plans” for students beginning in ninth grade and take measures to encourage more students to seek work in high-demand fields.
Some of Kemp’s most forceful remarks Tuesday involved his yearslong push to rewrite Georgia’s litigation rules. At the event last year, Kemp surprised many by abruptly announcing the effort would largely be delayed until 2025.
Since then, Kemp has held roundtable discussions around the state and lobbied lawmakers to lay the groundwork for the overhaul, which he has said would curb “frivolous” lawsuits and bring down insurance rates. He’s earned promises from legislative leaders to back him up.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
“This year, alongside Gov. Kemp, we’ll continue to pursue measures that return balance to our courtrooms and stability to our insurance markets,” House Speaker Jon Burns told the crowd. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, too, drew applause touting the proposed rewrite.
But few specifics have emerged. And opponents of the overhaul, including patient advocates and trial lawyers who say it restricts access to the civil justice system, have used the time to prepare for a drawn-out fight.
Surveying the crowded Georgia World Congress Center ballroom, Kemp half-jokingly quipped that chamber officials seated with lawmakers should give them “a look or a nudge under the table.”
“Because this is not a partisan issue. No matter your party, your district, your ZIP code, or your background, this issue impacts us all,” he said. “This is the year — so let’s get to work and get it done.”
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