This time, Gov. Nathan Deal kicked off the session with no dramatic proposal, no controversial idea on the scale of the school takeover plan or the HOPE scholarship overhaul that dominated past legislative gatherings.
If anything, the second-term Republican’s State of the State address tempered expectations of what he can accomplish this year.
He delayed broad changes to education policy recommended by a task force he appointed, and he staved off a campaign promise to rewrite how schools are funded. And he avoided mention altogether of some of the biggest debates brewing in the statehouse, including the fight over “religious liberty” and an effort to legalize casino gambling.
It was a surprisingly defensive speech from a governor just 14 months removed from an election victory atop another GOP sweep of Georgia’s top offices.
And it was an indication that Deal and his aides want to hoard what political clout they have left by using the most powerful tool in his arsenal — the control of the state’s purse strings — to influence state policy without resorting to contentious legislative changes.
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