ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today delivered the closing address at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's annual Eggs and Issues legislative event, announcing a number of his top legislative and budgetary priorities for the 2026 session of the General Assembly.

Among other proposals, the governor announced historic investments in affordability, transportation and energy infrastructure, and education and workforce development.

Below are Governor Kemp's prepared remarks:

Good morning and thank you for that introduction.

The best First Lady in the country, Marty Kemp, is here with me this morning! And we're both grateful for that look back at the years now behind us, for your partnership in overcoming the challenges those years brought to our state, and for the successes we achieved by working together.

Here at the start of another legislative session – the eighth my family and I have experienced in the Governor's Office, we're glad to be here

with Lt. Governor Jones, Speaker Burns, my fellow constitutional officers, members of the General Assembly, Mayor Dickens, and so many elected and community leaders from across Georgia. I also want to thank Chris Clark and the Georgia Chamber for again putting in the work to make Georgia's largest-known breakfast possible.

Together over these past seven years since I took office, we've brought historic jobs and opportunity to our state… and invested in rural Georgia in an unprecedented way.

We've led the nation in the Great Recovery and built the strongest state economy Georgia has ever seen. We've maintained our coveted ranking as the No. 1 state for business and celebrated more Georgians working than ever before. We've returned billions and billions of taxpayer dollars back to hardworking families and businesses. And we've broken new records for trade and movement of goods through our ports – the fastest growing on the east coast. All while positioning Georgia as the Top State for Talent.

But we didn't get here by allowing ourselves to be distracted. We didn't break records and achieve new heights by letting pundits and political noise drive the conversation, nor did we veer off track by looking in the rearview mirror. We did what all elected officials should do: we listened to the people and put them first!

Whether it's an election year or not, that should always remain our focus. And the people have spoken. They have told us clearly and loudly that they

want us to focus on the future, and on making it easier for their children and grandchildren to achieve the American Dream.

While many politicians are all of a sudden talking about affordability, here in Georgia, we've actually been doing something about it, long before it became a useful talking point! We've repeatedly cut taxes, provided both a homestead tax exemption and multiple tax rebates, and suspended the state gas tax in times of inflation or disaster. All told, we've returned over 9.7 billion dollars to taxpayers!

And, as you'll hear in my State of the State address tomorrow, making everyday life more affordable for hardworking Georgians will continue to be my top priority this legislative session. Because Georgians know better than politicians how to spend their money!

On top of those relief measures included in our prior budgets, I believe it's important to look back at the progress we've made since the passage of the largest, most comprehensive tort reform legislation in our state's history.

I again want to thank the members of the General Assembly who were with us on those tough votes, and we are now seeing the benefits of these new laws coming to fruition.

In just the last few months, Commissioner John King has announced three auto insurers are lowering their rates in 2026. Those are real, monthly savings for families across our state. And I believe we are in the beginning stages of creating a more stable marketplace for insurers to provide vital services to thousands of small businesses and families in Georgia.

I, again, want to thank Commissioner King and his team, the members of the General Assembly, the Georgia Chamber and other local chambers throughout the state, and other coalition partners who made this possible, who stuck with us on those tough votes, and for their continued work in bringing down costs for hardworking Georgians. But we also know that one victory does not guarantee future results, and I challenge all of our state's job creators to ensure our success on tort reform in 2025 does not die a death by a thousand cuts in the legislative sessions to come.

It's important to support the right candidates and continue advocating for sound policies that put the people of our state first in the years ahead. But our efforts to keep Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family extend outside of the Gold Dome as well.

As we continue to attract record jobs, help existing Georgia businesses, and bring historic investments to all parts of our state, Georgia has taken a different path than some of our neighbors and other states across the country when it comes to reliable, affordable energy. While other states are bracing for significant rate increases, our Public Service Commission approved a three-year rate freeze for Georgia Power customers, and just recently paved the way for additional savings on customers' monthly bills – all while making our state a national leader in renewable, reliable energy. They're doing it by encouraging smart, locally driven growth and investment, and ensuring large load customers pay more.

More on TelAve News

• Simpson and Reed Co-Founders Shardé Simpson, Esq. and Ciara Reed, Esq. Launch "Hello Wilma,"
• Report Outlines Key Questions for Individuals Exploring Anxiety Treatment Options in Toronto
• Rande Vick Introduces Radical Value, Challenging How Brands Measure Long-Term Value
• Lisa Mauretti Launches Peace of Mind Travel Coaching to Guide Fearful Travelers to Discover the World with Confidence
• New Year, New Home: Begin 2026 at Heritage at South Brunswick

If we want to continue our run as the top state for business, that goal cannot be accomplished without smart, long-term investments in our energy grid, because every job creator, family, and hardworking Georgian needs to know when they flip on that light switch, it will work, and it won't break the bank. And through our state's partnership with Georgia Power, our EMCs, and other utility providers, that is exactly what we are delivering here in the Peach State.

One final important point on this issue, now that the Atlanta paper has gone digital-only, maybe they'll have more resources to tell both sides of this story, not just the propaganda of special interest groups sponsoring their articles.

We're also keeping an eye on future and growing needs throughout Georgia, especially as more and more businesses and people move to our state. As I said before, there are now more Georgians working than ever before. And if you've driven on any of Georgia's major highways on your way to work – especially in metro Atlanta – you've seen it firsthand in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Road congestion doesn't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat behind the wheel, only that you're running late to work or an appointment. It costs commuters time with their loved ones and money, it costs businesses valuable production output, and it costs the entire state potential economic development projects.

The most recent report from the major roadway analytics firm INRIX, out just last month, named Atlanta the seventh worst city in the country for road congestion. By their calculations, hours lost to traffic in metro Atlanta increased by 23 percent in the past two years, alone, the third highest increase in the country.

By their estimates, commuters into and out of our capital city lost at least 75 hours to traffic, at a cost of over 1,400 dollars per person!

These issues are also undermining our economic development prospects, with business leaders questioning whether their workers will want to live and commute in that environment. When it comes to traffic congestion, we can't let our competitors have the upper hand, and I believe we must double down on previous, historic investments my administration and the General Assembly have made in order to ensure Georgia doesn't fall behind.

So, today I'm announcing that my budget proposal will invest an additional 1.8 billion dollars to increase roadway capacity in one of Georgia's most congested corridors: I-75 south in Henry County.

With these funds, we will construct dedicated express lanes for both the North and South-bound directions. Nearly 200,000 vehicles a day travel this major artery that connects Georgians with key business hubs in much of our state. A quarter of those vehicles are trucks hauling goods – more than most major highways. That's a sign of a strong and active economy… but without enough roadway capacity, it creates bottlenecks and slowdowns. Currently, 45 to 60 percent of commuters can't get in the Express Lanes when they need them the most.

This funding will enable GDOT and SRTA to address those issues head on. Our initial estimates indicate that once these express lanes are completed, as much as 70 percent more vehicles will be able to pass through that corridor during rush hours! That's a great return on investment for our state.

Today, I'm also announcing an additional 200-million-dollar investment to continue the improvements already under way along Gorgia 316, commonly known as University Parkway.

With incredible growth all along this state route, from Gwinnett County to Athens, we know how great the need is to turn this state route into a true and safe expressway. It shouldn't take you a full afternoon to get from Athens to Atlanta, or vice versa. That's why this funding will go toward the ongoing upgrades of intersections to interchanges, over passes, and other, safer connections.

We aren't just taking into account our interstates and major highways, though. This year we will again make historic investments in community-level road projects through the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant program. In the prior two years, we put a total of 515 million dollars into those grants – doubling our initial investment and putting more money toward local projects than ever before in state history.

This year, we're going to do it again with an additional 250 million dollars in funding for local road projects!

And just as before, there will be no match required by those local governments.  Rural communities deserve every bit as much attention as our big cities, and this third round of LMIG funding will fulfill that promise to treat all of our local communities fairly.

On top of all this, we will add another 100 million dollars to strengthen and improve bridges across the state in rural communities. Making sure those bridges are safe and reliable is both the right thing to do for those who live in those rural areas, and will further support our economy.

All of this additional funding for transportation projects is certainly needed, but it also has the added benefit of keeping Georgians working in the years to come.

More on TelAve News

• Food Journal Magazine Releases Its 'Best Food In Los Angeles Dining' Editorial Section
• Enders Capital: 25% Gains with Just -0.80% Maximum Monthly Drawdown in Volatile Debut Year 2025
• CES Spotlight Highlights Need for Strategic Review as Throughput Demands Evolve
• ASR Media, Social T Marketing & PR Announce Merger
• $780,000 Project for New Middle East Police Service with Deposit Received and Preliminary Design Work Underway for Lamperd: Stock Symbol: LLLI

That's the type of long-term and strategic approach we've taken when it comes to generational infrastructure investments like this.

And those projects are possible as a direct result of our conservative approach to budgeting. We've been able to make good use of one-time funds by growing and strengthening our infrastructure without adding liabilities that our children and grandchildren will have to pay for. We're going to do the same thing this year with energy infrastructure, further meeting an undeniable need at a critical time.

My amended budget proposal will include 35 million dollars in one-time money to create a natural gas infrastructure improvement fund within the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, following the passage of Senate Bill 13 last year. These funds will particularly benefit rural Georgia communities, improving the quality of life for those Georgians and growing their ability to attract and meet the needs of economic development projects.

All told since I took office, with this latest funding… we will have invested roughly 6 billion dollars in transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects across the state that actually move the needle on pressing issues facing every Georgian, both in large and small communities.

Here again, while some politicians across the country are suddenly talking about affordability and quality of life, in Georgia, we're actually doing something about it!

The same can be said of our investments in education and workforce training. We've coupled transformational funding with meaningful policies that put working Georgians first.

From the nation-leading Georgia MATCH program, to the Top State for Talent package we passed in 2024, to the measures we secured in prior years. All of this was made possible because we stopped operating behind walls and silos. We brought primary, secondary, and postsecondary education policymakers together with business and innovation leaders to collaborate on the future of education and workforce development in our state. At no other time in Georgia history have those stakeholders worked so closely, developing a first-of-its-kind uniform plan on these issues.

Building on those successes, in the coming days my administration will propose the Education and Workforce Strategy Act. It will ensure the unprecedented collaboration between the University and Technical College

Systems, the Georgia Department of Education, and others lives on, long after many of us here today are no longer in the positions we occupy.

A great example of that partnership is the ongoing effort around articulation agreements between the University and Technical College systems. Last year, we announced the first such compact in the critical field of nursing, directly addressing a major workforce need in our state. Today, I'm thankful to be able to announce three new articulation agreements between our higher-ed systems in the fields of teacher preparation, cybersecurity, and accounting.

These types of compacts are not easy, requiring lots of planning and adjustments to create seamless paths for Georgia students, so I want to thank Chancellor Perdue, Commissioner Dozier, and both of their teams for working so hard to turn the promise we made at last year's Workforce Summit to deliver on more agreements into a promise kept.

Building on this good work – and the great success we're seeing with the Georgia MATCH program – this year, we will also establish a cutting-edge Career Navigator application.

Designed to connect students, job seekers, and employers, it will help ensure Georgia workers can fill the opportunities already open or on their way to communities across the state, further clearing the path to economic mobility.

These measures are all designed with the same mindset my administration has brought to every discussion on education and workforce development: Georgians should have the opportunity to succeed no matter their zip code.

That's a commitment shared by Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes, and I want to thank her and her team for what they're doing to connect Georgians in every part of the state – including our rural areas – with the jobs coming to their communities.

That same commitment to empowering Georgians with opportunity – no matter where they live – is also why I am announcing for the first time publicly the creation of a new program designed to tackle homelessness right here in our capital city and in other urban areas across the state. Known as the Homelessness Response Grant, the state will make a one-time investment of 50 million dollars that will be coupled with other funds from public, private, and non-profit partners to launch this initiative. Through very targeted use of funds, this grant will act as a force multiplier to complement the good work already underway by Mayor Dickens and other champions on this challenging subject. Awards will go to local governments and nonprofit organizations addressing street-level homelessness in Georgia, and it will ensure that every stakeholder has equal skin in the game.

The Rural Workforce Housing Grant similarly requires a match from partners, and we have seen great success in tackling workforce housing affordability through that program.

And just like the other initiatives we've launched over the years, the Homelessness Response Grant isn't a handout program with limited impact and no mechanism for improving someone's conditions. It is carefully designed to help those experiencing homelessness move to greater stability and economic mobility. Resources will go to emergency shelter and transitional housing, street outreach and engagement teams, and wraparound services, like mental healthcare, drug rehabilitation, and other needs.

As I said, we've seen great leadership from Mayor Dickens and others on this issue, and when people from around the world visit our capital city in the coming months for the FIFA World Cup, they will not only see a state with a thriving economy, but also one that cares about its people and helps those willing and able to work for it access those opportunities.

This summer, Georgia will host just as many people, if not more, than we did during the 1996 Olympics. And like any good southerner, we will work to put our best foot forward for our guests.

We were elected to stay focused on the issues that actually matter to those we serve. For those who can think of nothing else but the upcoming election, let me share a word of advice – if you fail to listen to the people, you will fail to earn their vote. So, let's stay focused on a future where anyone who wants to work for a better life can achieve it here in the best state for opportunity, and let's keep choppin' to make sure we stay the best state to live, work, and raise a family.

Thank you, and God Bless

---

Show All News | Report Violation