Message from Senator Sally Harrell:
This week at the Capitol, almost nothing happened. Public budget hearings were cancelled due to snow, and rather than being rescheduled they were replaced with private meetings with Republican leadership. In the era of virtual technology, this seems unconscionable. The elimination of state public budget hearings is yet another chunk axed from the heart of our democracy.
For much longer than I can remember, the second week of Georgia’s legislative session has been dedicated solely to the budget, when state agency heads come to the Capitol to present their budget priorities and legislators ask them questions. It’s also where the Governor speaks to his vision for the coming fiscal year, and the State Economist gives his prediction for the economy. It’s all taken very seriously. I learned almost everything I know about the inner workings of state government by listening to these hearings.
During the last several years, I have heard government leaders plead for funding because they don’t have enough staff to do what their agencies were created to do. Sometimes their pleas were so fierce I thought they’d be fired by the Governor the next day.
Since early in his first term, Governor Kemp has systematically dismantled state government through a dual strategy of cutting budgets and drastically underestimating the revenue. Instead of investing in Georgia and its people, the Governor has hoarded billions of dollars into rainy day accounts. He has even regularly cut the gas tax so that the Georgia Department of Transportation gets its funding through the general funds — money intended for schools and healthcare — instead of motor fuel taxes, as our constitution prescribes.
Georgia’s income tax rate had been set at 6% since the 1930s and stayed that way until recently. Governor Kemp has proposed to reduce it again to 5.19 percent for FY 2026. There is no way to implement these cuts without taking it from education and healthcare.
And now these agency heads, who understand the importance of governing, have been silenced — not by a polar vortex but by a political vortex. In the halls of Democracy, silence gives authoritarianism the opportunity to thrive.
Jimmy Carter and the Budget
During Jimmy Carter’s governorship (1971-1975), he completely reformed the structure of Georgia’s government, reducing it from almost 300 agencies, board and commissions to 20 departments, eliminating duplication and streamlining services. His goal was to create a government more responsive to the people.
This basic government structure, as well as the zero-based budgeting process he implemented, still exists today — at least for now. But it’s in jeopardy.
Action Needed:
The Appropriations Chairs in both the House & the Senate need to hear from you that the Budget Hearings should be rescheduled instead of cancelled. Legislators are the voice of the people, and they deserve to hear from agency heads before deciding what gets funded and what doesn’t. The legislative branch should not just rubberstamp the Governor’s budget.
House Appropriations Chair
Rep.Matt Hatchett — 404-463-2247 — matt.hatchett@house.ga.gov
The full House Appropriations Committee (Click here to see if your Representative is a member, and if so, contact them as well).
Senate Appropriations Chair
Sen. Blake Tillery — 404-656-5038 — blake.tillery@senate.ga.gov
The full Senate Appropriations Committee (Click here to see if your Senator is a member, and if so, contact them as well).
The Governor’s Budget Remarks:
In a typical year, Governor Brian Kemp would have delivered a budget address to the Joint Senate and House Appropriations Committees last week. In lieu of that presentation, he shared his prepared remarks with committee members.
“My top priority in the budgets before you is one that we all share – relief for those devastated by Hurricane Helene last September. Hundreds of thousands of Georgians – from Valdosta to Augusta and far beyond – suffered losses in its wake, and we continue to mourn for the 34 Georgians lost to this terrible storm,” his statement said. “To assist our state agencies in vital recovery efforts, I am requesting over $614 million in the Amended Fiscal Year budget for hurricane relief.”
To read the entire statement from the governor, click here.
Later today, House and Senate Democrats will hold a press conference to unveil plans to expand Medicaid in Georgia and to outline other legislative priorities. “Governor Kemp’s “Pathways to Coverage” program is steeped in waste and mismanagement, costing Georgians more than $40 million in state and federal tax dollars, much of which has been spent on administration and consulting fees
During the 2025 legislative session, Democrats will stand united in their support of expanding Medicaid and will fight against attempts by Brian Kemp and legislative Republicans to divert their focus from giving Georgians the access to healthcare that they deserve.
The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute tracks the budget process and issues reports to analyze spending priorities. The institute “works to advance lasting solutions that expand economic opportunity and well-being for all Georgians. We produce research and state budget analysis to show Georgia ways to provide equitable education, health care and opportunity for everyone. Read the most recent GBPI report here.