On Jan. 16, Gov. Brian Kemp laid out his legislative agenda in his State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly. His priorities include greater transparency in medical billing, reforming the state’s adoption laws, and another round of teacher pay raises.
Education
Kemp is pushing for a $2,000 pay raise for all public school educators to “enhance retention rates, boost recruitment numbers, and improve educational outcomes.”
It’s the second part of Kemp’s campaign promise for a $5,000 teacher pay raise. Teachers received a $3,000 raise last year.
If approved by lawmakers, this second round of teacher raises would cost the state a projected $380 million. Kemp’s budget also includes about $45 million to fund a $1,000 pay hike for full-time state employees earning less than $40,000 a year, the AJC reports.
Kemp not only called for a teacher pay raise but also urged lawmakers to fully fund public education. For years, the state’s public school funding formula was reduced because of the recession, resulting in teacher layoffs and furloughs.
Finding the money to do that may prove difficult given the state’s lagging tax revenue and the fact many Republicans this year are pushing for a tax cut.
The governor did not say where the money for his proposed initiatives would come from. He simply stressed that the State should “keep our budget balanced” as it’s constitutionally required to.
READ Gov. Kemp’s State of the State address
In a nod to his conservative base, the governor stated his intent to do away with the nationally recognized set of educational standards known as Common Core. “Let’s dismantle the remnants of Common Core, reduce the number of required tests, and give teachers the opportunity to actually do what they do best: teach,” Kemp said.
Health care and adoption reform
The governor also addressed health care reform.
“We have hardworking Georgians who, by no fault of their own, are on the brink of bankruptcy because there’s no transparency in healthcare billing. Families are living on a prayer because the system is rigged against them,” Kemp said. He introduced plans to craft a legislative remedy to reduce surprise medical billing.
“We will demand transparency, embrace empathy, and insist on fairness. We will take care of each other in sickness and in health,” the governor told lawmakers.
Kemp touted two new health care programs his administration developed to support a limited expansion of Medicaid. Georgia Access and Georgia Pathways could add an additional 408, 000 Georgians to the state’s Medicaid rolls.
Democratic lawmakers were not swayed. The state Democratic Party blasted Kemp’s health care plan in a statement, calling it a “sham” that “falls far short of full expansion [of Medicaid] by covering fewer people for a higher cost.”
The governor also vowed to continue the fight against gangs and human trafficking and announced a plan to update the state’s adoption laws. Under the proposal, Georgia would triple the adoption tax credit from $2,000 to $6,000, lower the minimum age for a person to adopt a child from 25 to 21 and launch a commission focused on the operation of the state’s foster care system.
Tenth District State Representative Terry Rogers (R-Clarkesville) serves as one of Kemp’s floor leaders. He said the governor laid out a “bold and challenging vision” for the future. He applauded Kemp’s speech, particularly his focus on education and streamlining adoption requirements. “Both are areas that have needed help and I think we’re making some great strides,” Rogers said.
This article has been updated to include comments from Rep. Terry Rogers (R-Clarkesville)
