Gov. Nathan Deal delivered his annual State of the State address Wednesday, January 13.
PRAISING GEORGIA’S RESPONSE TO THE RECESSION
- Cutting taxes
- Removing regulatory burdens on businesses
- Directing resources to university programs, including dual enrollment for high school students
- Criminal justice reform aimed at decreasing the prison population, which included education and addiction treatment
- Updating the K-12 education system to allow for high school computer science courses to count toward a science or foreign language requirement in college
DEAL’S GOALS FOR EDUCATION
- $358 million for Pre-K, including $26.2 million for
salary increases and $7.9 million for a 3 percent merit pay
increase. - $300 million for K-12 education, which is more than
is required to give teachers a 3 percent pay raise - Giving local school districts the
flexibility to decide how to spend the additional funds - Using greater state education freedom from the federal government to call on local districts to evaluate testing requirements.
WHAT’S IN DEAL’S PROPOSED BUDGET
- State employees will receive a 3 percent pay raise
- Funding for the State Health Benefit Plan and Medicaid as healthcare costs rise
- $2.1 million for required Affordable Care Act paperwork reporting state compliance in fiscal year 2017
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Approximately 60 percent of the user fees from HB 170, the Transportation Funding Act, will be used to repair and maintain existing infrastructure
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The remaining 40 percent will be
used for new infrastructure investmentsOverall, Deal said he was optimistic about Georgia’s ability to adjust as necessary during the Great Recession and that those adjustments have set Georgia up for better times going forward.
