Legislators Begin 2024 Session

Calendar Set

State of the State

Governor’s Budget

Legislators returned to Atlanta this week for the 2024 legislative session, the second year of the two year term.  While this week did have some of the regular ceremonial activities, there was far more action than one can ever remember for the first week.  As a reminder, all bills left over from last year remain viable for the 2024 session.

For the second year in a row, the House and Senate set the schedule for the entire session (assuming nothing comes up that alters that plan). Next week, Monday, Jan 15, Martin Luther King Day is a state holiday, and the 16th through the 19th legislators will be in recess to hear presentations from state agencies regarding the governor’s budget proposals.  The following week, legislators will be in session Monday through Friday, legislative days 6-10 respectively (of 40).  The schedule sets out ‘Crossover Day,” the last day that bills have to pass from one chamber to the other, as February 29th (it’s leap year) as well as the final day of session, March 28th.  We anticipate a session that is fast-paced and intense.  Please keep a lookout for any news, uptates, or action items that require your assistance and voice.

As an election year, there are important days as it relates to elections.  March 4-8th is the week where anyone interested in running for state and federal seats must sign up or ‘qualify’ for office.  This always makes for an awkward time at the capitol as invariably there are surprise resignations as well as friends challenging friends. March 12, Georgians head to the polls to vote in the presidential primary.  May 21st is the General primary.

The Governor addressed a joint session of the Georgia General Assembly as well as the Judiciary to give his State of the State (the state version of the State of the Union address).  His remarks centered around differentiating the policies of the federal government and the policies in Georgia, including his assessment of the outcomes of those policies.

Notable excerpts from the speech include:

“Thanks to a strong economy and conservative fiscal management of state revenues, we’ve provided nearly 5 billion dollars of direct relief to taxpayers in tax refunds, gas tax suspensions, homestead tax exemptions, and more.”

“Despite unprecedented challenges, we have maintained a Triple-A bond rating while celebrating the creation of more than 171,000 new jobs and roughly 74.5 billion dollars of investment in every corner of the Peach State over the last 5 years!”

He focused on education, including school funding, school choice (vouchers), and school safety.  He acknowledged that his budget provides additional funding for mental health services.   Finally, he spoke passionately about public safety and supporting our law enforcement and first responders.

To read or see the address in its entirety, see Governor’s State of the State.

This week, the Governor unveiled his supplemental 2024 budget as well as his budget for SFY2025.

The Governor continues to address infrastructure in his budget, including $1.5B for transportation, $250m for water and sewer, and $200 to local governments for roads and bridges.

To address the healthcare workforce crisis, the governor proposed adding a new medical school at UGA and a new dental school at GA Southern.

The House Budget Office published a very interesting downloadable book, the 2024 Georgia Fact Book.  The book provides an easy to understand snapshot of Georgia’s budget allocation, a few main policies implemented recently, demographics, and state revenue sources.

To understand how a bill becomes a law see: Senate infographic on bill pathway

As a reminder, all legislation, including our bill, HB557 remains viable from last year.