Georgia: Gov. Kemp Signs FY26 Budget - Providing Hurricane Helene Relief and Important Investments in Education, Healthcare, and Public Safety

ATLANTA - Governor Brian P. Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Lt. Governor Burt Jones, House Appropriations Chairman Hatchett, constitutional officers, and members of the Georgia General Assembly, and state leaders today signed the budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

Excerpt of Governor Kemp's Remarks

I'm proud to be here with the nation's best First Lady, Marty Kemp!

And we're both thankful for the great legislative partners you see behind us and next to me, including Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Chairman Matt Hatchett, and the members of the General Assembly from both chambers and parties who overwhelmingly voted for this commonsense and balanced budget.

Speaker Jon Burns and Chairman Blake Tillery couldn't join us today, but they also worked very hard on this budget and I know they send their regards.

We're also glad to be joined by the Constitutional Officers here with us who serve as great partners in safeguarding taxpayer money and keeping government lean and efficient.

I want to thank OPB Director Rick Dunn and his team, as well, for all the time and hard work they put into the budget process each year alongside our partners in the House and Senate Budget offices. That hefty document on that table that represents our state's priorities is the result of their hard work and dedication.

Today, I'll sign the budget for Fiscal Year 2026 - a budget that makes important investments to meet the needs of our growing state without growing government or adding to our long-term liabilities.

It represents an impact across so many different areas of our state - including investments in education, public safety, healthcare, infrastructure, and much more.

Through this budget, we're again fully funding our schools. We're also committing:

• Over 300 million additional dollars for enrollment and expense growth for K-12 education…
• 49.7 million dollars to promote our students' mental health and wellbeing…
• 13 million dollars in new funding to improve literacy for our elementary students…
• 267 million dollars to fund higher education growth at the University and Technical College Systems, furthering their ability to provide the workforce we need to meet demand…
• 20 million dollars to replace 227 school buses…
• And over 141 million dollars to fund the Promise Scholarship Program, delivering on the promise we made last year to students and their families who deserve an education that is right for them.

We're also working to promote the health and wellbeing of all Georgians, with:

• 257 million additional dollars in support for Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids expense and enrollment growth… just in case someone tries to tell you we don't spend more each year on Medicaid…
• 10 million dollars for significant capital repairs at state hospitals…
• Over 5 million dollars for salary enhancements for social services eligibility caseworkers, building on previous pay raises for these critical employees…
• And over 4.5 million dollars to improve maternal health.

In Fiscal Year 2026, we're also building on our past work to make Georgia safer, to keep our communities and businesses secure, and to take criminals off our streets.

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This budget includes 200 million dollars for the Department of Corrections to increase Corrections Officer salaries and number of positions… to increase salaries for non-security staff… and to meet other operational needs that will make our prison facilities safer.

This was a priority for both my administration and leaders in the legislature, and I'm proud we worked together to deliver these investments.

Other key investments in public safety within this budget include:

• Over 1.7 million dollars for additional positions and technology at the GBI's Crime Labs across the state…
• Over 1 million dollars for two crime scene technical leaders and three digital forensic investigators…
• 1 million dollars for a gang case management system and gang enforcement efforts statewide…
• Over 268,000 dollars for Attorney General Chris Carr to expand the Gang Prosecution Unit in the Savannah region… and over 748,000 dollars to expand the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit to the Macon and Augusta regions…
• And over 421,000 dollars to improve operations of the 24/7 hotline to report human trafficking and serve victims through the CJCC… a measure championed by the first lady.

Last but not least, this budget makes considerable investments in infrastructure statewide... an important factor in keeping us the best place for business and opportunity.

With 290 million dollars in additional funding going toward transportation projects… and 715 million dollars going to capital projects, including some for K-12 school systems… we are using the funds we have from years of growth to build stronger communities and encourage further investment and success.

I'm especially proud we're doing so – for the second straight year – with cash, meaning for two straight years we have not added any new debt.

That brings our state's debt service-to-revenue ratio to the lowest level in Georgia history!

And it ultimately means we'll save taxpayers 150 million dollars per year for the next 20 years in future debt service costs we won't have to pay… on top of the billions saved in tax refunds and tax cuts we've implemented over the past several years.

We're able to take these steps because of our conservative approach to budgeting.

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We don't follow the path that states like California, New York, Illinois, and others do… They're growing government and raising taxes to cover budget deficits.

But here in Georgia, we're keeping government in check, cutting taxes, and returning taxpayer money where it belongs – back to hardworking Georgians!

We balance our budgets and encourage economic growth statewide without growing government.

That's thanks to this team you see up here that is committed to being good stewards of what Georgians entrust us with.

So, thank you all, again, for helping us keep Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family through budgets like this.

"This budget is a result of deliberate and effective work by Senate Appropriations Chairman Tillery, the subcommittee Chairs and all members of the Senate Appropriations Committee," said Lt. Governor Burt Jones. "Governor Brian Kemp's recommendations at the beginning of session provided a great foundation for our work to begin and for us to ultimately pass a budget focused on Georgia's children, families and future, while reducing unnecessary or redundant government spending. In Georgia, we are continuing to keep government spending in check, while giving money back to taxpayers – where it belongs. I want to thank everyone for their hard work to ensure our state remains fiscally sound, our reserves remain healthy and our citizens get back their hard-earned money with a reduction in the state income tax. I look forward to continuing to prioritize a fiscally conservative philosophy as we look at budgets next session."

"This year's budget reflects the unwavering commitment of the General Assembly to championing strategic investments that will keep our state the best place to live, work, and raise a family for generations to come—all while putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking Georgia taxpayers," said Speaker Jon Burns. "Thank you to Governor Kemp, Chairman Hatchett, and each member of the House who worked tirelessly to get this budget across the finish line, securing the current and future success of our great state."

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