Georgia officials are proposing one-time bonuses of $1,000 to many state employees who make less than $80,000 a year. Gov. Brian Kemp, House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, all Republicans, announced the plan Wednesday.
They say they want to recognize the hard work of employees during the pandemic. Ralston says the plan would cost $59.6 million and cover about 57,000 employees. The money comes from state savings because the federal government is paying for a greater share of the Medicaid program. Kemp and state Superintendent Richard Woods already announced a plan to pay $1,000 bonuses to K-12 school employees using federal coronavirus relief money. The state Board of Education is likely to consider those bonuses this month.
