On Wednesday, March 16th, Governor Brian P. Kemp was joined by Lieutenant Governor Duncan; Speaker Ralston; House and Senate Appropriations Chairmen Terry England and Blake Tillery, respectively; and leaders from several Georgia state agencies when he signed the Amended Fiscal Year 2022 budget into law, further funding the priorities of education, public safety, and healthcare while also streamlining government services and supporting innovative ways to better serve hardworking Georgians.

Below are his remarks in full, which he delivered just before the budget signing:

 

Good afternoon, everyone,

I want to thank Lt. Governor Duncan, Speaker Ralston, Chairman England, Chairman Tillery, and OPB Director Kelly Farr for being here with us today.

These leaders have been instrumental in getting this budget across the finish line, enabling us to invest further in our classrooms, workforce, and the men and women who serve their fellow Georgians each day, including those who bravely wear a badge and uniform while they protect our communities.

I also want to thank the dedicated members of our General Assembly who worked hard on and voted overwhelmingly for this budget, and the OPB staff who worked diligently on every aspect of the budgetary process.

And finally, I’d also like to thank the state agency heads who are in attendance today.

Georgia is in a unique position, as we lead the nation in economic recovery.

Because we chose to protect both lives and livelihoods during the pandemic, because we withstood the criticisms and opened our economy, and because we made the tough decisions when it mattered most our unemployment rate is at historic lows, we experienced unprecedented commerce, trade, and investment numbers this fiscal year while retaining our No. 1 ranking for business, and state revenues are up without any tax increase on Georgia taxpayers.

That approach allowed our economy and many of Georgia’s small businesses to live to fight another day.

And it allowed us to make important choices and investments through this amended budget that I will sign into law today.

Those choices include returning more than 1 billion taxpayer dollars where they belong – in the pockets of hardworking Georgians. Because, that’s your money, not the government’s.

This budget funds our priorities and sets our state on a clear path to continued, strong recovery in the coming months as we fully turn the page on the pandemic.

As demonstrated throughout the last two difficult years, Georgia’s greatest strength is our people – and the success of our state going forward is dependent on how we prepare the next generation for the opportunities that await them beyond the classroom.

That is why I am proud to say that – among other investments in our education and workforce development systems – this amended budget:

• Fully restores the austerity cuts made to K-12 education during the COVID recession through more than 388 million dollars

• Gives our hardworking teachers, school nurses, bus drivers, cafeteria staff, and custodial workers a one-time salary supplement of 2,000 dollars

• Provides over 18 million dollars to fund the enrollment increase in our charter schools

• Allocates tens of millions of dollars for capital improvements at both our University and Technical College Systems

• And provides 188 million dollars to replace over 1,700 school buses and increase reimbursements on key safety features

I want to stress this is not a complete list of all the education benefits this amended budget provides.

I also want to underscore that with this budget and the projected investments in the FY 2023 budget currently working its way through the General Assembly, we will soon be investing more per K-12 student than ever before in our state.  

Just as we’re prioritizing education and workforce development in this budget, we’re also prioritizing the safety of our fellow Georgians, especially during this time of growing crime rates.

It includes, among other budget items:

• 8.5 million dollars in support for statewide public safety initiatives

• Over 8 million dollars for the Georgia Crime Victims Emergency Fund

• 11.4 million to complete the new Department of Public Safety headquarters

• Over 461 million dollars to upgrade the safety and infrastructure of our prison systems, so that dangerous criminals remain behind bars away from society while non-violent offenders are properly rehabilitated and our corrections officers remain secure.

The AFY budget also provides a $5,000 pay adjustment to state employees, including our state law enforcement officers who work so diligently to protect their fellow Georgians.

Correctional officers also will receive an additional $2,000 pay increase to promote the recruitment and retention of these critical employees.  

As I said in my State of the State address, we must ensure every Georgian feels safe and secure in their communities.

We’re also not resting on our laurels when it comes to making Georgia a healthier place to call home.

We’re directing over $8.5 million to the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission, over $9.9 million in additional funding to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and the Health Insurance Continuation Program, and over $2.7 million in additional funds to the Indigent Care Trust Fund.

I’m confident these investments will further both the quality and accessibility of healthcare in our growing state.

I first ran for office as a small businessman frustrated with government, and as governor, my administration has worked to streamline operations, cut red tape, and make government utilize technology to do more with less.

Working alongside the leaders in this room, I’m proud to say this budget furthers that goal.

At a time when threats to our nation and the principles of freedom are growing from abroad, it is vital that we do what is necessary to protect our citizens and job creators.

That’s why this budget invests $3 million in the Georgia Technology Authority for resources designed to address cybersecurity threats from Russia and other bad actors on the world stage.

We’re also allocating over $1.1 million to add 12 self-service kiosks at Driver Services Centers around the state, and to program existing Department of Revenue kiosks to add licensing capabilities.

We’re making it easier and quicker to get driver services to Georgians, so they can focus on what really matters – family and their livelihoods – instead of red tape and paperwork.

Furthermore, we’re adding $8 million to create a state healthcare exchange under the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, ably led by another strong conservative, Commissioner John King.

And to make sure that Georgians not only have easier access to healthcare and state services, but also easier access to jobs and opportunity, in this budget alone, we’re investing a total of $198 million in our Department of Transportation to further improve our transportation and transit networks.

Before I close, I want to again thank everyone in the room here today who helped make this budget possible.

Georgia continues to be the best state to live, work, and raise a family, because we have prioritized education, public safety, and healthcare – even in the face of truly unprecedented times.

We’ve had to make tough decisions – together – but as we’ve seen over the last few months – they were the right ones.

Over the next few days, Georgians should know that we’re going to keep working to cut taxes, invest in our schools, strengthen public safety, and keep partisan politics out of the classroom.

When the books are closed on this legislative session, I’m confident we will have built a safer, stronger Georgia for all who call the Peach State home.

Thank you, and God Bless.