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Text Size01/13/2004 Annual Eggs & Issues Breakfast
Prepared Remarks of Governor Sonny Perdue
Annual Eggs & Issues Breakfast
(Note: The Governor Sometimes Deviates From Prepared Remarks)
One of the things I enjoy the most about this time of year is all the familiar rituals and traditions that come around with the new legislative Session.
The Eggs & Issues Breakfast is one of those great traditions I enjoy and so many of us look forward to each year.
It is a good chance for us to break bread together in common purpose before we return to the Capitol to hash out our differences.
So I thank the Georgia Chamber of Commerce for continuing this great tradition. Thank you George Israel, Phil Jacobs, Skin Edge and all those who organized this event and brought all of us together this morning.
As you may know, last week I traveled all across the state, from Chickamauga to Valdosta, LaGrange to Savannah. I met with thousands of Georgians. I heard their concerns.
And I shared some of my agenda for this year's General Assembly. Some, but not all. I want you to know I saved a couple of items to unveil here. I figure if you're all going to be here so early, you deserve to hear some good news first.
First, let me set the stage for you. Slowly but surely, momentum is building toward economic recovery in Georgia. But our state budget remains tight.
Revenues are flat while our needs in education, health care and other areas have grown. So we've got to do more with less.
Just as Georgia families are doing, we in the State Capitol have got to focus our resources and our attention on our top priorities.
After listening to Georgians, I have set my agenda to meet the people's priorities. Let me share with you my guiding principles for this legislative session.
They're pretty simple: children, jobs and living within our means.
Living within our means in state government means, very simply, no tax increases.
Families across the state are struggling balance the checkbook and make ends meet. We're not going to make it harder on them by reaching deeper into their pockets with a tax increase of any kind. I won't allow it.
Instead, we'll balance our state budget by doing what Georgia families are doing. They're prioritizing their financial decisions, paying the mortgage to keep their children safe, paying insurance to keep their children healthy, and paying car loans to ensure they get to and from work to keep the money coming in.
Family spending is focused on family priorities. We must bring that same care to handling the people's finances in the state budget. We must focus our spending on the people's priorities.
Taking care of Georgia 's children must be our highest priority.
And at the top of the list is enacting real child protection reform. As we're all too aware, Georgia remains the only state without a child abuse felony statute that includes criminally negligent behavior.
My Child Protection package, announced yesterday, will change that. Our bipartisan legislation will protect children from abusive caregivers and it will create penalties for manufacturing methamphetamines in the presence of a child.
It will also greatly expand and improve our Levi's Call system that was so effective in helping rescue those three little girls from Gordon County last week.
In addition, we are reorganizing and revitalizing DFACS, under the leadership of Dr. Janet Oliva.
We are streamlining the agency's organization to make it more responsive to the counties and put Director Oliva in closer contact with the county offices.
I am pleased to announce this morning, that as part of that process, we are increasing the number of DFACS caseworkers by 65 positions. These posts will be filled by moving positions of out central offices to bring more expertise and staff to the front lines.
This reorganization will improve morale, begin to address our turnover rate, and address case loads at the same time
I will also ask the Legislature to adopt the Faith & Family Services Amendment to the state constitution.
F aith-based organizations contract with the state to provide vital social services to children, as well as to seniors, battered women, the disabled and other at risk groups.
An outdated provision of the state constitution leaves us vulnerable to lawsuits that could cut off the services that faith-based groups provide.
My simple 12-word amendment will bring the Georgia Constitution in line with the US Constitution and ensure that faith-based providers can compete fairly without being discriminated against.
I am pleased that yesterday the Senate Rules Committee gave the Faith and Family Services Amendment its bipartisan unanimous support and sent it to the full Senate.
The education of our children is another top priority.
Aside from active and involved parents, one of the best things we can do for our children is to attract and keep the best possible teachers.
To help do that, my budget will include a 2% across the board pay raise for teachers. It will also add an additional increase for veteran teachers. In all, nearly two-thirds of Georgia teachers will receive a 5% pay raise. They deserve it.
Our next priority is creating jobs for Georgians.
We must ensure that Georgia develops a solid and competitive 21 st century economy.
We'll do that by supporting our existing industries and businesses, helping them get the trained workers, infrastructure and new ideas and markets they need to grow in Georgia.
We'll also grow our economy by creating an economic climate that encourages entrepreneurship, supporting grassroots community efforts to help entrepreneurs successfully launch new businesses.
And we'll create lasting opportunity by investing in the jobs of the future-investing in innovation and the growth industries of the future, like the life sciences and nanotechnology.
But let me tell you something else, an important part of our economic development strategy is maintaining the quality of life that makes Georgia such a great place to live.
That includes expanding community greenspace to all counties in the state. Last week, I signed an executive order creating an Advisory Council for the Georgia Land Conservation Partnership.
The Land Conservation Partnership will help coordinate existing public and private conservation efforts statewide.
My order charges the Council with developing a statewide land conservation plan and recommending policies for land conservation. I will announce appointments to the Council shortly.
But today I want to announce that my budget for next year will include $20 million in bonds for purchase of large tracts of threatened land areas in need of protection.
This will be a statewide effort, coordinated with those of local governments, land trusts, conservation groups, individuals, corporations and others.
Together, we will promote community greenspace across Georgia and protect our quality of life.
This is an important investment in Georgia 's future, one of many we'll be making. You will hear more details tomorrow night when I release next year's budget.
I'm committed to meeting your priorities, the people's priorities of caring for children, education and jobs.
I look forward to working with members of the legislature from both parties to accomplish our shared goals.
Georgians want well-meaning people on both sides to work together to move the state forward.
You have every right to expect that will happen. And I will do everything in my power to make sure it does. I'm looking forward to a great 2004 Session.