Ups, Downs and In-betweens
Governor’s Agenda: As usual, the Georgia General Assembly convened in January with a lengthy to-do list. One of the things at the top of Gov. Brian Kemp’s agenda: tort reform. Kemp says that tort reform is needed to keep Georgia the No. 1 state for business. Supporters say reform will lower insurance rates for businesses, while those against it say that such reforms will not lower insurance rates but will work to deny residents the ability to sue when harmed.
Speaker’s Agenda: House Speaker Jon Burns says he supports banning transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports in school, though he says he does not support other restrictions on trans individuals. Opponents of the ban say it will harm transgender girls. Burns also says the House will study ways to increase access to healthcare in Georgia, including the approach used in Arkansas that brought Medicaid coverage to additional residents. Unlike states that enrolled new residents into existing Medicaid programs, Arkansas used expansion dollars to buy private insurance for uninsured residents.
Photo credit: Mircea Iancu
Raising Kids: The Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare has released a list of recommendations to increase access and affordability of childcare. The recommendations include tax credits, workplace protections and money for families and childcare providers. Child Care Aware of America says working parents in Georgia spend an average of $11,066 a year for an infant in a childcare center.
Economic Predictions: University of Georgia economists predict the Georgia economy will do better in 2025 than the nation, though the effects of President Donald Trump’s policies are an unknown. Economists predict an economic expansion in the state of 2.4%, down from 3.1% in 2024; an unemployment rate of 4%, up from 3.7% in 2024, and job growth to shrink from 1.5% to 1%. Nationally, economic forecasters expect a 1.6% economic expansion, a 4.3% unemployment rate and job growth of just .6%.
New Laws: Several laws took effect Jan. 1 in Georgia, including SB 233, which allows parents of students in the lowest performing schools to apply for $6,500 grants to pay for private school tuition, textbooks, homeschool supplies, transportation, therapy and more. Election-related laws include changes to voter registration for homeless Georgians and the creation of county election boards. Another law allows the legislature to conduct audits of the state’s tax incentive programs.
More for Georgia Power: You may have to spend a bit more to heat or cool your house in 2025. A 3.5% Georgia Power rate increase went into effect on Jan. 1, meaning the typical household bill will go up around $5. Georgia Power has increased rates six times in the past few years, so customers are now paying an average of $43 per household more than at the beginning of 2023. The Public Service Commission – made up of five elected members, all Republicans – voted unanimously to approve the most recent increase, which will provide an additional $306 million to the utility company to upgrade its power grid.
World Heritage: The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge could soon join the UNESCO World Heritage List. The U.S. Department of the Interior recommended its nomination, and the 21-nation World Heritage Committee will make the final decision. The 400,000-acre refuge makes up 92% of the Okefenokee Swamp. The list currently includes more than 1,200 cultural and natural sites of universal importance. In the U.S., the Grand Canyon, Everglades National Park, Monticello, the University of Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are among the sites.
Bruce Thompson, Georgia Labor Commissioner. Photo credit: contributed
In Memoriam: Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson, 59, died in November of pancreatic cancer. As commissioner, he pushed for transparency and fiscal responsibility, as his department worked on on a high volume of claims due to the pandemic. Prior to being elected labor commissioner in 2022, Thompson, who lived in Cartersville, was a Republican state senator, an insurance agent and an entrepreneur. He was also an Army veteran. “A successful businessman and respected leader of his community, Bruce was a passionate voice for what he believed in throughout his years of service to the people of Georgia,” Gov. Brian Kemp wrote in a social media post.
