Deal announces new plans for jobs, water, education

Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday offered his most extensive look yet at his policy priorities when he offered new plans to boost the state's competitiveness, k-12 education and access to water.

Speaking at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's annual Eggs and Issues event at the Georgia World Congress Center, Deal laid out the plans to a packed ballroom of state business leaders eager to hear more from the new governor on where his attention will be directed.

Other than releasing his budget proposals for the current and coming fiscal years, Deal has largely kept those priorities to himself. Tuesday, he gave a clearer indication of what he wants to accomplish.

"There is a mantra all of us will be repeating, and that is creating jobs for our state," Deal said. "Jobs and education are inextricably linked for our state."

Also speaking at the event, rescheduled from earlier this month due to the brutal snow and ice storm that slammed metro Atlanta, were Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, both of whom pledged support for a series of regional referendums in 2012 on a sales tax increase for road construction.

But it was Deal, speaking for the first time as governor to the state chamber, who made news. Deal said he would create a Georgia Competitiveness Initiative that will form a public-private partnership to make the state as business-friendly as possible. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce will be a key partner in that effort, chamber President Chris Clark said afterward.

Speaking to reporters later, Deal said his new "competitiveness council" will join state and local leaders and the business community to "look at the overall picture of Georgia as we're currently situated."

The council will review the state tax structure -- despite a similar effort having just been completed. The point, Deal said, is "to simply say are there things that are making us noncompetitive, and if there are, how do we make them better."

Lawmakers said there is a definite need for improvements. Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said Georgia is not competitive with its neighbors.

"They're kicking our butts," Mullis said. "All the neighboring states. Incentives in Tennessee. Alabama is offering cash. If we're going to compete, we have to raise the bar some."

Senate Economic Development Committee Chairman Ronnie Chance, R-Tyrone, one of Deal's floor leaders, said he would welcome the input.

"The more, the merrier," he said. "We can't have too many good ideas, particularly with how we compete with neighboring states."

Clark, the new chamber president, promised, too, that they will be watching and taking a more active role in helping shape public policy.

“The Georgia chamber’s top priority right now is to grow our economy in a way that will increase our competitiveness and allow businesses to create jobs," Clark said later Tuesday. "We are honored that Governor Deal has asked us to be a part of this new initiative and look forward to working with him ... to build a strategy for economic success.”

On water, Deal said "it is important for the state of Georgia to show good faith" as it negotiates with Alabama and Florida on a settlement to its decades-old battle over water. He said he wants the state to work with local governments to find ways to expand existing reservoirs as well as explore new ones.

But Deal also said he would direct the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to create a Georgia water supply development program that will "align and mobilize state resources to help local governments develop new supplies."

The new effort will include several state agencies to work with local governments across the state.