Kemp warns of special session to pass lawsuit limits, pitches income tax cut and disaster relief<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a speech focused on resiliency, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp warned of dark clouds ahead for the state\u2019s economy if the Legislature does not pass new limits on lawsuits \u2013 and signaled he might call a special session later this year if \u201cmeaningful, impactful\u201d measures are not passed this winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kemp did not outline specifics Wednesday but devoted a significant portion of his State of the State address to lawmakers emphasizing what he argues is the need for sweeping changes and how hard he plans to push for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The governor said his soon-to-be-unveiled proposal will be \u201ccomprehensive but fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will be fair to all involved in this important debate, and we will work together to pass legislation that strikes the right balance and puts hardworking Georgians first,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cBut I also want to be very clear: there is always room for compromise, but there will be no room for excuses, half-measures, or failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s this legislative session, or a second one later this year, we will achieve meaningful, impactful tort reform,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The governor also appealed directly to Democrats, making the case for bipartisan support for an overhaul to the state\u2019s litigation rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStabilizing the cost of car insurance and ensuring families have access to affordable housing is not partisan \u2013 it\u2019s common sense,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd giving working people and small business owners a chance at the American Dream is about who we are as a state \u2013 not what political party we support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kemp noted the complexity of the issue, but said \u201cdoing nothing is no longer an option.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his speech, Kemp also called for another income tax reduction, saying he will propose a budget that accounts for 5.19% rate, which would be down from 5.39% \u2013 at a cost of $7.5 billion to the state\u2019s coffers over the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause, at the end of the day, that\u2019s your money \u2013 not the government\u2019s- and here in Georgia, we believe you should keep more of it,\u201d Kemp said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also proposed more hurricane relief and described touring the destruction caused by Helene with first lady Marty Kemp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn every community, we saw utter devastation,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in the face of grief and unbearable loss, we also saw everyday heroes, we saw neighbors helping neighbors, lending a hand or a chainsaw, even when their own homes and farms were in need of attention. We saw brand new church outreach programs feeding whole towns, and we saw first responders who put the lives of others above their own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also called for more funding \u2013 $159 million \u2013 to continue to increase school security in the wake of the Apalachee High School shooting that killed two students and two teachers in September. Law enforcement officers who helped stop the 14-year-old gunman and caregivers who helped the community in the aftermath of the shooting were honored during the speech inside the House chamber. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kemp\u2019s budget is set to be released today. His budget proposal sets the spending limit but must still be approved by state lawmakers, who cannot add money to the overall budget but can move dollars around to leave their imprint on the new spending plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wednesday\u2019s speech was his second to last State of the State, with just two years left in his second term as governor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Georgia Recorder reporter Ross Williams contributed to this report. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n[mailerlite_form form_id=21]\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kemp warns of special session to pass lawsuit limits, pitches income tax cut and disaster relief In a speech focused on resiliency, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp warned of dark clouds ahead for the state\u2019s economy if the Legislature does not pass new limits on lawsuits \u2013 and signaled he might call a special session later […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":948,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[8484,9331],"class_list":["post-215588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-government","tag-brian-kemp","tag-state-of-the-state","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/948"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=215588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215588\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=215588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=215588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=215588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}