ATHENS — Gov. Brian Kemp told Georgia lawmakers Tuesday that state relief for victims of Hurricane Helene will be his top priority in the upcoming legislative session.
On the final day of a three-day legislative summit, the governor said health care, public safety and an overhaul of rules for civil litigation also will be top concerns.
Kemp vowed to introduce a hurricane relief package in the first week of the session that begins next month. Though he provided no details, he said it would have both budgetary and policy components.
The governor’s comments come as Congress debates President Joe Biden’s request for a $100 billion federal disaster relief package.
“We will not let up when it comes to demanding the feds do right by our fellow Georgians,” Kemp said. “I would ask you all to help us at every opportunity to continue to reinforce this message in a bipartisan way.”
Hurricane Helene devastated large parts of Georgia at the end of September. It caused an estimated $5.5 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural and timber industries. It damaged 212,747 homes across the state, and 34 Georgians lost their lives.
Kemp has requested $12.2 billion in federal relief funds. He and legislative leaders also have directed $100 million in state funding to provide immediate relief for farmers and timber producers. He also suspended the state gas tax.
On Tuesday the governor said he has been working with legislative leaders on a package of additional aid. It was one of several priorities he highlighted at the Legislature’s Biennial Institute — a retreat for lawmakers as they prepare for the upcoming session.
“We are not willing to wait on Washington to get its act together to give Georgians relief,” the governor said.
Kemp also signaled he will ask lawmakers to tackle tort legislation — wading into a battle over litigation rules and jury awards that has divided Georgia lawmakers for decades. Though he did not use the words “tort reform,” he said he will address “civil action litigation” in the early days of the session. He cited the work of a series of roundtables organized by his office to build momentum for the legislative push.
The governor has been laying the groundwork to rewrite the state’s litigation rules for much of his second term, plunging into a thorny fight that will test his political clout.
The issue pits corporate leaders, medical organizations and the insurance industry against a powerful network of trial lawyers who oppose the changes.
Doctors and hospitals say the measures would help lure more physicians to Georgia, and business lobbies promise that speedier out-of-court settlements and limits on jury awards will help lower insurance premiums and cut legal costs.
Trial lawyers and patient advocacy groups, meanwhile, frame the legislation as a giveaway to powerful corporations that would rob Georgians of their legal rights and restrict access to the judicial system.
Kemp also pledged to strengthen education and workforce programs, “innovative health care approaches” and public safety.
Though his speech was short on details, some of Kemp’s priorities will become clear when he unveils his proposed budget in early January. Among other things, the governor and lawmakers must decide how to spend some of the $16.5 billion in reserve the state has accumulated in recent years.
