On Friday, April 4, the final day of Georgia’s legislative session, Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega) told Now Habersham at the Capitol that he feels this year’s session was a positive one for Georgians, specifically for investments made in certain areas while also maintaining fiscal conservatism in passing a $37 billion budget.
“A lot of good, conservative legislation has passed (this session),” Gooch said. “Of course, our biggest focus every year is the budget. We just finished putting the final touches on the budget … state funds will be spent primarily on public safety and education. We’re proud of the work we’ve done on that.”
The 2026 budget, which passed through both legislative chambers Friday, contains considerable funding for lists of measures addressing mental health, improvements to public school systems, money for public universities and for the Georgia Promise Scholarship – which, after being passed last year, aims to give families in failing school districts the option of sending children to private schools through a voucher program.
“We don’t have a lot of (failing schools) in North Georgia, but we do have a few,” Gooch said. “…there’s a few scattered here and there. But that’s a good (program) that we think is important for the future of our youth – to develop the workforce of tomorrow.”
When asked about other accomplishments, Gooch noted newly-implemented cuts to the state income tax as well as rebates to Georgians in the amount of $1 billion (up to a $500 per person) of surplus funds that will go back in the pockets of taxpayers.
Under the revised plan, the income tax rate would drop to 5.19% for this year, down from 5.39%, according to the Georgia Recorder.
Long-term, Gooch said he’d ultimately like to see the state income tax abolished altogether, favoring a consumption-based sales tax model that’s been adopted in states like Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Pointing to $6 billion in damage caused in South Georgia by Hurricane Helene last year, Gooch emphasized the importance of new funding intended to bring relief to that part of the state – particularly to the hard-hit agriculture industry.
“It’s going to take years to recover some of the losses down there, especially the tree farmers – that will be generational losses,” he said. “Agriculture is our number one industry.”
Like his Republican colleagues, Gooch touted the passage of Senate Bill 1, which prohibits transgender females from participating in women’s sports, as a win for Georgia’s GOP lawmakers.
“We believe that boys should compete against boys, and girls should compete against girls, so that was a priority of the caucasus,” Gooch said. “So, we’re really excited about that.”
New initiatives to close disparities in literacy among children seen across the state also was a key effort, according to Gooch.
Georgia’s fourth-grade reading scores have consistently failed to meet proficiency goals set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The persistent gap in literacy achievement has raised concerns about the state’s education system and its ability to ensure young learners develop critical reading skills at key stages of their education.
About $30 million in funding in the 2026 budget served as a continuation of House Bill 538, passed two years ago, in striving to improve literacy among the youth.
“We want to continue to put focus and increased efforts on that to increase reading skills,” Gooch said.
Gooch expressed pride in unveiling a new “America First” license plate design, motivated by President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.
Gooch also said there’s been significant progress in reforming election laws to restore voters’ confidence in the system, as well as other advancements in enhancing access to broadband in rural areas – which he said will continue to be seen in the coming years.
On a final note, Gooch said he’s not ruled out running for higher office – specifically lieutenant governor, if current Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones makes a bid for governor following the departure of Gov. Brian Kemp, who is in his second term as governor.
Now Habersham will have more from lawmakers regarding the 2025 legislative session in the coming days.
