Georgia Governor Brian Kemp delivered the State of the State address Wednesday. While much of the speech focused on recovery efforts in the wake of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, the second-term governor also called attention to tax cuts for Georgia residents.
“The prior acceleration you passed last session brought down the Georgia income tax rate to 5.39 percent, down a full 36 basis points from where we started in 2022,” according to Kemp. “Today, I’m proposing a further cut of 20 basis points, bringing us down to just 5.19 percent - saving Georgians another 7.5 billion dollars over the next 10 years.”
Kemp once again vowed to push through his priority of limiting lawsuit verdicts.
“Whether it is this legislative session or perhaps a second one later this year, we will achieve meaningful, impactful tort reform,” Kemp said.
He also reached out to Democrats, whose support he may need to pass that lawsuit reform.
“To my Democratic friends, there is no reason we can’t tackle tort reform together. Passing anti-hate crimes legislation, repealing the citizens arrest statute, and supporting the victims of human trafficking, those are tough issues. But Republicans and Democrats accomplished them together because it was the right thing to do for all Georgians, not just the ones who voted for us.”
Many of Kemp's policy efforts revolve around spending, including $600 million to improve prison conditions and $50 million for school safety.
