Gov. Kemp Signs Amended Budget To Provide Tax Relief, Fund Georgia DREAMS, Invest in Transportation & Mental Health

ATLANTA - Governor Brian P. Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Speaker Jon Burns, House and Senate Appropriations Chairmen Tillery and Hatchett, constitutional officers, and members of the Georgia General Assembly, today signed HB 973, the Amended Budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

An excerpt of Governor Kemp's remarks, statements from Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Speaker Jon Burns, and highlights of the AFY 2026 budget are below.

Excerpt of Governor Kemp's Remarks

Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us to help provide more tax relief to hardworking Georgians today, among other great measures included in this budget.

I’m proud to be here today with the nation’s best First Lady, Marty Kemp!

And we’re both grateful for the people beside and behind me who overwhelmingly supported the passage of this budget.

Lt. Governor Burt Jones… Speaker Jon Burns… Chairmen Blake Tillery and Matt Hatchett… as well as all those on the steps behind us… thank you for the time and work that went into this budget that delivers for Georgia’s taxpayers.

We’re also glad to be joined by the Constitutional Officers here with us today…

And finally, I want to thank OPB Director Rick Dunn and his team, as well as my chief of staff Lauren Curry, for all the time and hard work they put into the budget process each year.

OPB and my team put in literally months of careful work, attention, and consideration into every line of our budgets… and the discussions and negotiations that lead up to this moment involve countless hours over long weekends and late nights. 

... 

The amended budget I’ll sign today delivers meaningful relief to the people of Georgia while also making key investments that will drive our state’s success for years to come.

I want to stress that while the document on that table amounts to a large sum… much of those funds are one-time spends and do not add long-term liabilities to the state that our children and grandchildren would have to pay back.

In fact, Georgia now has the lowest debt-to-revenue ratio since the state began issuing bonds in the 1970s… and enough money in our rainy day fund to keep state government working for nearly three months without any additional funds.

We’re able to make wise use of these funds today and make generational investments in our state because of our conservative approach to budgeting…

And because of the belief that guides us in crafting and negotiating these budgets: this isn’t the government’s money… it belongs to the people of Georgia!

...

You can watch Governor Kemp's full remarks and the signing of the budget here.

“I want to thank Governor Kemp for his leadership and steadfast commitment to ensuring Georgia remains fiscally sound,” said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. “Because of his leadership, along with the work of Chairman Blake Tillery, the subcommittee Chairs, and all members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, this budget includes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s Veterans community. This budget furthers our commitment to putting more than $2 billion in tax dollars back in Georgians’ pockets and investing in our education system, namely by increasing resources and pay for our school personnel. Our support for our law enforcement heroes remains unwavering and support for mental health services historic. I want to thank everyone for their work to ensure that Georgia remains the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

“This budget is more than just numbers on a page. It is a direct reflection of this General Assembly’s commitment to each of our neighbors in every corner of our great state,” said Speaker Jon Burns. “From returning nearly $2 billion directly back to hardworking taxpayers and homeowners and providing $2,000 pay supplements to state employees, to investing in healthcare, education, public safety and infrastructure—every Georgian can be proud of the investments we’re making today to create a better, brighter future for our state.”

The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief for hardworking Georgians, as well as other key investments in education, workforce, public safety, and infrastructure. Specifically, that includes:

• Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship program - the first-of-its-kind needs-based scholarship in Georgia history, $6 million for the Career Navigator tool to connect workers with quality job opportunities, and funding for new and enhanced programs at USG and TCSG institutions.
• Public Safety: An additional $150 million for the Department of Corrections to address critical bed space needs, over $9.7 million for additional Corrections Officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility at the Georgia Department of Public Safety Headquarters, and $50 million to assist communities in meaningfully addressing homelessness across Georgia and amongst the veteran community.
• Mental Healthcare: $409 million for the design and construction of a new Georgia Regional Hospital to significantly expand state mental health bed capacity.
• Transportation Infrastructure: Over $1.6 billion for the extension and bi-directional expansion of the I-75 express lanes in Henry County, $185 million for interchange conversions on SR 316 (University Parkway), $100 million for rehabilitation and replacement of rural bridges, and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants (LMIG).
• Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants, $35 million for a first-of-its-kind natural gas infrastructure program within the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative to support Georgia's timber industry.