Georgia House of Representatives 2024 Legislative Session: Week 1

Rep. Stan Gunter

Georgia House of Representative - House District 8 - Blairsville

The Georgia General Assembly convened for the 2024 legislative session on Monday, January 8, 2024. With only 40 legislative days to accomplish the people’s business, my colleagues and I did not waste any time at the state capitol this week.

On Thursday, members of the Georgia General Assembly House Of Representatives and Georgia State Senate gathered in the House Chamber to convene for a joint session to welcome Governor Kemp as he presented his assessment during his annual State of the State Address.

This gathering provided a unique opportunity for our governor to reflect on the foundation of the state and upcoming legislative priorities including: tax cuts, strong workforce, educational opportunities, safety and effective learning environments for of our students and teachers.

Over the last year, Georgia’s government has provided nearly $5 billion of direct relief to taxpayers in the form of tax refunds, gas tax suspensions and homestead tax exemptions. The governor applauded the state for creating over 171,000 new jobs and over $74 billion investments over the last five years. To build off this job growth and economic prosperity, the governor announced his plans to speed up the implementation of the largest tax cut in state history. This proposed tax cut would decrease our state income tax to 5.39 percent starting this year and represent a savings of $3 billion for Georgia taxpayers over the next decade.

In his address, Gov. Kemp discussed his desire to prioritize school safety across the state. The governor remarked that since 2019, Georgia’s government has allotted $185 million to all Georgia schools to help ensure the highest level of safety. With these funds, schools will be able to determine how to use that money to best meet the security needs of their individual schools.

Not only is school safety a primary issue for the governor, but public safety also remains a top priority. The governor stressed the importance of supporting our law enforcement as they sacrifice their lives daily to protect our own. The governor intends to work with the Georgia Assembly to provide a pay raise once again for state law enforcement officers.

To that end, the governor announced that his budget proposal includes a request for a $3,000 pay raise for state patrol officers, correctional officers and other state law enforcement agencies.

The governor also plans to continue efforts to combat human trafficking in Georgia. Under the leadership of our First Lady Marty Kemp and the GRACE Commission, eight pieces of legislation that target traffickers, while also supporting victims, have been signed into law. These efforts have enabled the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) HEAT unit to investigate 369 cases of human trafficking. I will update you throughout the session on any legislative action regarding these two important initiatives.

The governor outlined his priorities surrounding healthcare, recapping the strides made to lower care costs, expand access, and incentivize more health care providers to provide health care. Since the passage of the Patients First Act in 2019, 87 percent of Georgia counties now have three or more health care insurance carriers, whereas prior to 2019, no Georgia county had more than two.

The governor expressed his gratitude for the Georgia Access Reinsurance Program for their efforts to grow enrollment in the private sector from 460,000 to more than 1.2 million Georgians today. Gov. Kemp also touted the achievements of the Mental Health Parity Act, a fitting capstone to the late Speaker David Ralston’s years of service to the Georgia House of Representatives. As a result of this legislation, Commissioner Kevin Tanner and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) carried out Speaker Ralston’s legacy with the 988 Crisis Hotline giving Georgians access to the services and help needed.

To build on this achievement, the governor is proposing a total increase of $205 million for DBHDD and other entities that address mental health in our state. With these appropriations, Georgia will be spending $1.6 billion on mental health care – more than ever before.

Finally, Gov. Kemp discussed his plans to bolster retention and recruitment efforts across the state by proposing pay increases for all state employees and teachers. In his remarks, Gov. Kemp highlighted the importance of maintaining an efficient state government, while staying ahead of Georgia’s continued economic growth – none of which would be possible without the dedication and workmanship of Georgia’s state employees and teachers.

To that end, Georgia’s state workers and teachers would see a four percent pay increase under the governor’s proposal. In addition to supporting Georgia’s current employees, the governor intends to allocate $500 million to shore up the state retiree fund, ensuring our state keeps its promise to our retirees and maintains solid financial footing. The governor closed his remarks by applauding the state of our state for being strong, growing, and full of opportunity.

In addition to hearing Gov. Kemp’s State of the State Address on Thursday, the House voted to adopt an Adjournment Resolution, House Resolution 779, to set our calendar for this legislative session. Each session is comprised of 40 non-consecutive days, and this year’s calendar sets our final day of session, or “Sine Die,” on Thursday, March 28. We have an aggressive schedule this year and much work to be done prior to the final swing of the gavel.

Now that the 2024 legislative session has begun, I will spend most of my time over the next few months at the Georgia State Capitol . After we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, my colleagues and I will return to the capitol on Tuesday, January 16th to begin our work on one of the most important pieces of legislation of this session: the state budget.

Before leaving the capitol for the weekend, my colleagues and I received the governor’s budget books, which include his budget recommendations for the amended and full fiscal year budgets. We will review these recommendations over the weekend, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will hear from the governor to discuss recommendations.

The committees will continue to meet to discuss budget requests from our state agency heads. I look forward to sharing updates with you about the budget process.

I welcome you to reach out to me with your thoughts and opinions on issues or policies as we move throughout the 2024 session. You can reach my capitol office at 404-656-5125 or email me [email protected],

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative for House District 8.

Governor Brian Kemp's State of the State Address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWAXZbk6kk

Georgia House of Representatives livestream: https://www.legis.ga.gov/schedule/house.