Gov. Brian Kemp delivered his penultimate State of the State address with the usual list of goals and priorities that he’ll pursue over the next few months. But he also included an unusual, not-so-thinly-veiled threat: a special session later this year if lawmakers don’t act on his top priority of reining in abusive lawsuits.
As Kemp enters his home stretch as governor, he can point to progress made on multiple fronts. He can claim a healthy record of employment growth, unprecedented budget surpluses that have driven tax rates lower (including another, just-announced tax cut) and moves to protect Georgia’s right-to-work status.
But Georgia’s legal environment has deteriorated to the point that it threatens all the other good work policy makers have done over the decades.
“It’s abundantly clear,” Kemp said, “that the status quo isn’t working and a failure to act on meaningful tort reform will continue to put Georgians and their livelihoods in serious jeopardy.”
Kemp devoted more than a third of his speech to the topic. He recounted stories from the trio of roundtable meetings he held across the state in recent months with employers large and small.
Say what you will about Kemp, but he has not been a governor who picks fights unnecessarily. This fight appears to be another born of conviction based on what he has seen and heard from Georgians.
This week’s commentary looks at Kemp’s push for tort reform in Georgia and what it means. We also have the latest news and analysis from the last week, including:
- Trump begins new term with series of executive orders
- Kemp to visit Germany, Poland on business mission
- Lawmakers looking to address homestead exemption opt-out
- Georgia’s U.S. senators vote for Laken Riley Act
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest
The lost role of school board leadership
Only one-third of American fourth-graders read at grade level, and math proficiency has plummeted to decades-low levels. But you wouldn’t know it from most school board meetings, where student achievement data often receives less attention than the new locker room decor. This disconnect is the result of a gradual but profound shift in how school board members view their roles – from ensuring student success to merely observing administrative processes.
A new legislative session begins as Kemp enters final biennium
As we start a new session, you have freshman legislators, full of ideas and campaign promises, learning the daily rhythm. There are pages and new aides still finding their way around the building. All the lobbyists think their bills might pass, and all the reporters are poking around to discern which of them are right about that. The time for cynicism, celebration and dejection, and, above all, relief that it ended – that time will arrive by late March. For now, optimism abounds.
Preparing for the 2025 Georgia legislative session
The new year brings a new legislative session and a new crop of issues to be debated in the General Assembly over the next three months. After the November elections, the state House will welcome 20 new representatives, including eight Republicans and 12 Democrats, among their 180 members. While the Democrats won a net gain of two seats, Republicans retained their majority in the House. Republicans maintained their 33-23 majority in the state Senate, which will welcome three Democrats and one Republican in 2025.
Georgia schools spent billions in COVID-19 relief dollars, but on what, exactly?
The feds gave Georgia’s 10 most heavily populated school districts more than $3 billion combined for COVID-related relief. Finding the information about who got what and at what cost is one thing, but trying to understand what each listed category actually means and what exactly it paid for is complicated to say the least. Much of the dashboard is coded in government jargon. Ask a GaDOE staff member for clarity and, in return, they’ll ask for a time-consuming and costly open records request.
Use the Promise Scholarship to homeschool, if you want
There has long been a belief in the homeschool community that you should never accept government funds of any kind. The thinking was that if you are willing to accept government funds, you open your doors to government intrusion. It was essentially a “we won’t bother you if you don’t bother us” mentality. But why should families consider using the Promise Scholarship to homeschool?
The Latest
Economy
Georgia lawmakers to debate pros and cons of data centers
Business leaders are gearing up to defend the growing proliferation of power-hungry data centers in Georgia from an expected pushback in the General Assembly by critics worried about the industry’s impact on electric rates. Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed a bill the legislature passed last year that would have temporarily suspended a state sales tax exemption aimed at attracting data centers to Georgia.
Gov. Kemp to visit Germany, Poland on business mission
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is set to visit Germany and Poland next week on a weeklong business mission aimed at shoring up relationships with key partners and driving new investment relationships. While his messaging in the annual State of the State address last Thursday focused on local issues, the governor also outlined the importance of international partnerships to job-creation efforts all over the state.
Savannah dangles more money to film producers as industry struggles to rebound
As film and television production across the country struggles to rebound, Savannah is making changes to its incentive program to stay competitive. The cash rebate that production companies can receive for shooting feature films in and around the city has increased from $100,000 to $175,000, according to the Savannah Regional Film Commission. For television series, the rebate has increased from $250,000 to $300,000.
Lawmakers to take up ambitious building projects list
This week’s winter storm in Georgia has forced the cancellation of three days of legislative hearings on Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget requests for the remainder of this fiscal year and fiscal 2026. But when lawmakers reconvene under the Gold Dome next week, they will begin examining an ambitious list of building projects fueled by the huge budget surplus the state has built up during the last several years.
Education
Public schools added 121,000 employees last year, even as they served 110,000 fewer students
According to new data released in December from the National Center for Education Statistics, public schools added 121,000 employees last year even as they served 110,000 fewer students. On a per-student basis, that means public school staffing levels once again climbed to new all-time highs.
‘Budget reconciliation’ sounds like wonkspeak. But it matters for schools.
The Trump administration is primed to pursue big changes in federal taxes and spending through a process called “budget reconciliation.” Budget reconciliation, used 23 times since it was created by the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act, could have enormous implications for school spending, student lending, and school choice. But what exactly is it?
Government accountability
Georgia lawmakers looking to address House Bill 581 opt-out
A long list of government entities are opting out of a Georgia bill that would freeze property assessment at the rate of inflation. But some lawmakers are considering legislation to remove that option. Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, is one of those lawmakers. Rather than introducing a bill that would mandate the tax break statewide, it will be a trend among lawmakers to introduce bills specific to their counties where entities are opting out, he said.
Georgia’s U.S. senators vote for Laken Riley Act
A new immigration law named for the slain nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia’s campus almost one year ago is heading to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. Before getting final approval from the U.S. House on Wednesday, the bill cleared the Senate, with both of Georgia’s Democratic U.S. senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, voting for the bill.
Attorney General Carr is going after gangs, scams and human traffickers
Gangs, human trafficking and blocking drones and cell phones from state prisons will continue to be a major focus for Georgia’s top law enforcer. Organized retail crime and doxxing are also in Attorney General Chris Carr’s crosshairs this legislative session. Doxxing is collecting and sharing people’s personal information online without their permission for malicious purposes.
Biden’s regulatory big bang: A parting gift Trump is set to return
Just as the incoming Trump administration promised to repeal “foolish” and “radical” Biden executive actions—and issue so many executive orders on day one “your head will spin”—President Biden delivered his parting Federal Register over the weekend. Pre-dated for Tuesday the 21st, it serves as a final display of his regulatory ambitions. At 872 pages, Biden’s January 21 Federal Register tied a final big bow on an aggressive midnight-rule push.
Transportation
$45M Akers Mill express ramp to open today
A $45 million project to build a new ramp connecting Akers Mill Road with the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes on Interstate 75 in Cobb County opens Friday. The new ramp will be the 12th access point for the Northwest lanes, which opened in 2018 and cover 29.7 miles between an area just north of Akers Mill and Hickory Grove Road in north Cobb, and along I-575 in Cobb to Sixes Road in Cherokee County.
Trump revokes Biden 50% EV target, freezes unspent charging funds
President Donald Trump took aim at electric vehicles, revoking a 2021 executive order signed by his predecessor Joe Biden that sought to ensure half of all new vehicles sold in the United States by 2030 were electric. Trump said in an executive order he was halting distribution of unspent government funds for vehicle charging stations from a $5 billion fund, called for ending a waiver for states to adopt zero emission vehicle rules by 2035 and said his administration would consider ending EV tax credits.
Bonus
Chipper Jones sounds off on Andruw Jones Hall of Fame snub
It’s clear that if Chipper Jones had a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame, his former Atlanta Braves teammate Andruw Jones would have been on his ballot. Chipper questioned the baseball writers on X after the former Braves center fielder failed to reach the 75% vote threshold to make the 2025 class for Cooperstown.
CNN, NBC about to kick off massive post-election firing spree
CNN and, to a lesser extent, NBC, are set to fire workers en masse following the November 2024 election, CNBC reported Wednesday. CNN will reportedly fire “hundreds” as it moves its business model towards the digital world and away from traditional broadcast media, CNBC reported.
Netflix raises U.S. subscriber prices
Netflix subscribers will see a noticeable jump in their monthly subscription fees, as the streaming company revels in new viewership. Standard monthly memberships jumped a dollar, up to $7.99 a month, while memberships without ads will increase more than two dollars, up to $17.99 per month.
Quotes of Note
“From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world. We will be the envy of every nation, and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer. During every single day of the Trump administration, I will, very simply, put America first.” – President Donald Trump, 2025 Inaugural Address
“I can just sing it.” – Carrie Underwood, when there were technical difficulties before her performance of “America the Beautiful” at Monday’s inauguration
“Over the last six years, international companies have invested over $38 billion in Georgia, creating more than 58,000 new opportunities for Georgians in every corner of the state, with communities outside of metro Atlanta attracting over 80% of those jobs.” – Gov. Brian Kemp
