[cheers and applause] >> thank you, mr. speaker. thank you all very much. [applause] >> thank you all very much. thank you, mr. speaker for those kinds words.

i appreciate the recognition, it's hon inhour to be here. lieutenant governor jones, speaker burns. president prokem kennedy, members of the general assembly, constitutional officers, members of the public service commission, mayor dickens, members of the judiciary, members of the counselor core and my fellow georgians. later this year the people fulfill civic duty. they will chose who occupy the seats of service and they will determine what course america takes in the years to come. as they have in years past, when they go to the ballot box, they'll see a stark difference between georgia and our nation's capitol. they'll see what we've achieved together at the state level to make georgia an even greater place to live, work and raise a family. and they'll see the

hardshipships washington, d.c. has brought in every home and placed in kitchen table across the state. congress has become synonymous with run away spending, bloated budgets, job-killing regulations, gridlock and partisanship and elected representatives in both parties who are more interested in getting famous on cable news than delivering results for the american people. all the while across the nation over 60% of households are living paycheck to paycheck over 8.4 million americans are working two jobs to the make ends meet. mortgage rates remain at highs not seen in a generation and while the rate of inflation may have fallen high prices on everything from groceries to rent have not. in fact, the it cost americans over a 11,000 more per year to maintain the same quality of life that they have just a few

short years ago. for the hard-working men and women of this country, paying $11,000 more a year is not a choice between the luxuries of life. for too many people that's the decision between putting food on the cable for their families, making car payment, buying quote clothes for their kids or going further into debt. for a recent graduate it's whether you can afford to get your own place and pay off student loans. for a single mom it's a decision about taking a job, a new job and a new career that pays better but doesn't offer child care. for a family of 4, can they make ends meet when also saving for their kid's college in trying to pay their mortgage and for our seniors, are they able to the stretch a fixed income to meet their basic needs. these are the people that washington, d.c. has left behind because for every challenge our nation faces, the federal

response is to spend more, regulate more, tax more and come up with another government program meant to cure every ill. instead of empowering hard-working americans to innovate, create, see greater prosperity, their answer is simply more government. but the good news is here in georgia we have chosen the different path because we realize that the success of our state does not rely on the actions of government but the prosperity of our people. washington, d.c. forgot a long time ago that it's not the brilliance of politicians or the good intentions of a new program that make our nation great. it is the resolve, the ingenuity and contractor of the american people. those were the hard-working georgians we heard on the

campaign trail we heard struck thes and hopes for brighter future. as you all know it was a truly family affair. i want to thank marty, lucy, amy porter for being there every step of the way. thank you all. maws please. >> i also appreciate my mom who y'all recognized earlier, my sister julie reed and her husband are here with us today the and we are honored by their presence. my commitment to the people of our state was very simple. i promise to put hard-working georgians first, fund our priorities like education, public safety and health care but also keep government efficient, responsible and accountable. the federal government may have

abandoned those principles but here in georgia thanks to the partnership between my administration and the general assembly we have delivered real results for the people of our state ahead of schedule and underbudget. thanks to the a strong economy and conservative fiscal management of state revenues we've provided nearly $5 billion of direct relief to taxpayers in tax refunds, gas tax suspensions, homestead taxes exemptions and more. [applause] [applause] >> you all were a big part of that. despite unprecedented challenges, we have maintained a triple a bond rating while celebrating the creation of more

than 171,000 new jobs and roughly $74.5 billion of investment in every corner of the peach state over the last five years. unlike a lot of blue states, we are not done yet, last month i joaned lieutenant governor jones, speaker burns and others to announce the a plan to speed you mean implementation of the largest state tax cut in history. with your support, i look forward to signing legislation that decreases our state income tax to 5.39% starting this year.

this matters. must mr. speaker, lithe governor, while president biden hires tens of thousands of new irs agents my vote is we just keep cutting taxes here in georgia. [cheers and applause] >> the path that georgia has taken over the last five years has led to record job growth. historic investment in communities, $5 billion of tax relief and enough funds saved to operate state government for months in an emergency, not days. that's the choice for georgians this november and i feel confident they'll vote to keep george moving in the right direction once again.

so to answer the question, the state of our state is strong, growing and prosperous because we trust our citizens more than we trust the government. [applause] >> georgia is succeeding because we have chartered our own path, rejected the fail policies of washington, d.c. and worked together to put our citizens first. but i believe the worst thing we could do is call it a day and coast through what is certain to be another contentious election year. we have accomplished so much over the last five years despite unprecedented times and challenges because we haven't gotten distracted from doing the job that we were sent here to do. like i mentioned four years ago in my second state of the state

address, we stay true and now we are seeing the results. it's no secret that georgia is growing and top state for business for record ten years in a row, new jobs are headed our way almost on a daily basis. existing businesses are looking to the expand and companies from the all over the world look to the peach state to locate their next headquarters. but with growth comes the need for more trained workers to fulfill good-paying jobs in a rapidly changing labor environment. that's why i was proud to unveil program in last year workforce submit, largest emission's program in the nation. georgia has is doing incredible job linking the upcoming generation with the schools that meet their needs. as of today the over 10,000 students have already met their

match and we will keep working to reach every high school senior in georgia so that they know there's a higher education path open to them right here in the peach state no matter their circumstances. [applause] speaking of education, my amended 2024 budget in the fiscal year 2025 budget proposals double down on our continued and historic support of k through 12 education with $1.4 billion in additional funds allocated to make a total of $12.8 billion, republicans and democrats alike have supported this record investment in our students and i want to take a moment and thank all of you for that the strong bipartisan

achievement. it's also important for us to remember that increased funding does not guaranty greater success. as a mall business owner for almost 40 years now i believe like many of you that competition and the free market drives innovation. at the end of the day, they result in a better product for the consumer. when it comes to education the same principles hold true. over the last few years, there's been a great deal of debate around different proposals to expand options for students and families when it comes to the finding the education that best fits their individual needs. many members in both chambers have worked hard on the this important issue and i want to thank and applaud them for their efforts. some prefer the term school choice or educational freedom, some call them vouchers. in my opinion, with each of the

terms the fails to mention is the child. [applause] >> at the end of the day our first and foremost considerations to be the future of that student, our job is not to decide for every family but to support them the in making the best choice for their child, this week as we begin the second year of another biannual general assembly, i believe that we have run out of next year's. i firmly believe we can take all of the above approach to education whether it's the public, private, homeschooling, charter or otherwise. it's time for all parties to get around the table and agree on the best path forward to provide the best educational opportunities we can because that is what we were elected to

do. >> so that end, my office and i look forward working with leadership of both chambers to get bill signed and passed into law this session. finally, our students and teachers deserve to have a safe learning environment no matter the zip code. since i took office i had the opportunity to hold more than 30 round table discussions. we heard frequently that our schools were in need of additional resources to enhance security, that's why since 2019 we have provided more than $185 million to all of our schools to help secure the safety and well-being of our students and our teachers. this year i'm proposing we continue those efforts by making

school security funding permanent and my budget proposal aye included request for $100 million that would go directly for school districts for school safety enhancements. schools will determine how to best use this money whether for personnel like school resource officers or for fiscal or technology improvements that make our places of learning more secure. this investment is more significant because it will enable schools and administrators to plan accordingly knowing that this money is headed their way for this specific purpose. i hope to see strong bipartisan support for this budget item to keep our kids and our schools safe. [applause] >> since being sworn in as 83rd governor the top priority of my

administration has been ensuring the safety and security of our communities. there's no doubt that we have made great progress from the gbi's antigang task force and heat unit and the department of public safety's crime suppressing unit through the first lady's grace commission and the attorney general human trafficking prosecution unit and the school security measures i just mentioned. we have notware waived commitment in strengthening public safety but the state cannot do it alone. thankfully over the last two years we have had strong partners at the local level who have worked alongside. two of the gentlemen are here with us today and i want to thank mayor dickens and chief for their partnership. we appreciate you all.

[applause] >> while the mayor and i come from different political parties and don't agree on everything, we do agree on the importance of reducing crime and keeping our citizens safe. bipartisan majority of both chambers, the mayor and myself all agree on the critical need for the completion of the atlanta public training center. this facility --

[applause] >> this facility will provide our law enforcement officers firefighters and additional first responders the critical tools and knowledge as well as the skills needed to keep themselves and our communities safe. one of our brave public safety officers are here with us this morning, exactly a year ago this week this dedicated trooper was shot and severely wounded near the side of the future training center. he spent weeks in the hospital fighting for his life. he endured multiple surgeries and spent the better part of a year in recovery while his family stood strong beside him. marty and i were honor today spend time with him while in the hospital and i was honored when he gave me one of my most prized possession his s.w.a.t. coin bearing badge number. he had the coin on when he was shot that horrible day and it is a constant reminder for the

price paid by men and women like him all over the state who keep our children, our homes, our businesses and our streets safe. trooper first class jerry, will you please stand with your wife kelly and let us thank you for your great service. [cheers and applause] >> thank you to the entire

perish family for your service, your bravery and the sacrifices you've made over the past year for us. we are also joined in the gallery by some brave men who render life-saving aid to trooper perish on site and they represent some of the very finest of the department of public safety. the department natural resources and ems folks, would you all please stand and let us thank you for your bravery on that day. we are so grateful for you all.

i don't claim to speak for anyone else in this chamber today but this decision is very simple for me and my family. as long as i'm your governor, there will be no gray area or political double talk. we will support our law enforcement officers, we will support our fire fighters and our first responders in the atlanta public safety training center needs to be built, period. [cheers and applause] >> article 1, section 1 paragraph 2 of the georgia constitution states, protection to person and property is the paramount duty of government and shall be impartial and complete.

to fulfill that paramount duty we must do more than show our support for law enforcement in words, we have to show it through action. that is why last year thanks to the work of the general assembly i was proud to sign a budget that included a 6,000-dollar pay raise for state law enforcement officers. that pay raise was a recognition of the contributions these brave men and women make as they put their lives on the line day in and day out. this year i look forward working with each of you to once again provide another pay raise for state law enforcement. [applause] >> within my budget propose forral or pay increases of

additional $3,000 for state patrol officers like trooper perries as well as our correctional officers and other state law enforcement agencies, these investments will not only serve as a renewal of our commitment to law enforcement officers but will support ongoing retention and recruitment efforts. i'm also urging the general assembly to complete what we started last year and give final passage to the peace officer loan repayment program because despite what some may say we need more police officers not fewer. [applause] this year will also be continuing our efforts to combat human trafficking in our state thanks to leadership of the greatest first lady in the country marty kemp.

>> thanks to her work and grace commission and members of both chambers georgia has gone from being known as a human trafficking destination to being known as the leader in going after traffickers and supporting the victims. under the first lady's leadership and with overwhelming support from both chambers, we have passed and signed into law 8 pieces of legislation that goes after those who work in this evil enterprise while also supporting the victims. our efforts have enabled the gbi's heat unit to investigate 369 cases of human trafficking since its creation. and for attorney general human trafficking prosecution to secure 32 convictions while assisting rescue of over 129 victims since it launched but we

we. [applause] >> but we still have work to do and marty and i are looking forward working with you this education to keep up that fight. five years into my administration when it comes to health care, we made enormous strides in lowering cost, expanding access and incentivizing more healthcare providers to give care. we began this work with the passage of the patient's first act in 2019 and since then we have seen strong results. in 2019 no counties in guillermo had more than 2 health insurance carriers. today 87% of georgia counties have 3 or more carriers and thanks to georgia access and the

reinsurance program, it has groan from 460,000 to over 1.2 million georgians. georgia access is also saving hard-working family more and more in their wallets and all we reduced premiums by average of 11% across the state. that represents an average annual premium reduction of almost $929 million a year. in rural counties where premium prices were the least affordable when i took office, georgia access reduced premium payments, premiums by average of 29% and while some in the media refuse to acknowledge the significant progress, we will continue to support policies that work for georgians not political narratives because the fact is that for individuals and families struggling to make ends meet lower insurance cost and more choices lead to better care

that they can actually afford. and because -- and because we've made policy choices and budgeted conservatively, prioritize innovation and efficiency, we are now able to make other important investments in the health and well-being of hard-working georgians. that includes our efforts in mental health. two years ago as you know i was proud to sign into law a fitting capstone to the late speaker david years of service in this chamber and one that leaves the lasting legacy. up with of the most visible examples of the legacy 988 crisis hotline campaign conducted by the department of behavioral health and developmental disabilities last year. thanks to commissioner kevin tanner and his team more

georgians than ever before are accessing services that help them when they need to turn their lives around for better. to enhance this the program further, my budget proposal calls for an increase of $205 million for deviates dd and other entities that address mental health. this new funding will enable dba dd and increase the number of beds throughout the state and further crisis intervention resources in all communities and improve the quality of mental health services overall. once passed, we will be spending $1.6 billion on mental health more than ever before.

i'm proud of what these and other agencies are doing to help fellow georgians and keeping us the best state to live, work and raise a family. as we speak all across georgia, there are men and women working hard to keep our neighborhoods safe, attract new jobs and industries to communities in need and teaching a whole generation that will one day occupy these roles and much more. they have remained committed and hard-working during unprecedented challenges over the last five years and i'm so proud of everything that they have accomplished for our citizens. it is no secret that most state government jobs pay less than private-sector opportunities in the same line of work. but for many of our employees do it because they feel a sense of public service and they want our state to succeed but for state government to stay efficient and

stay ahead of georgia's continued growth we must be able to attract and retain employees who perform the vital important jobs. that is why my budget proposal provides a pay increase for all state employees including our teachers. >> this will build on the historic raises we provide of educators over the recent years and increase every state workers pay by 4%. my proposal also rewards those who gave decades of their lives and careers to serving others by

allocating $500 million to sure up fund ensuring our state -- [applause] >> this will ensure that our state keeps its promises for retirees and stay on financial footing. instead of expanding the size an cope of government, we are putting state dollars to work in targeted fighter ways to recruit, retain and thank employees from corrections officers to case workers. by doing so we are continuing our efforts to wisely use every penny taxpayers send us from state agency personnel to our schools, public safety and the healthcare marketplace. as we lack across america

there's no doubt that we are at a cross roads from crushing inflation and dysfunction in washington to the crisis at our southern border and unrest overseas, these are, indeed, trying times but i believe we have an opportunity here in georgia, an opportunity to high light a different path, one of the brilliant principles of america's found asking the roll of the states for them to be laboratories of democracy and carry out the will of the people. our founders didn't believe the states should always look to the federal government for answers and by judging current comparison i don't think we would have much to the learn. in georgia, we back the blue and

crack down on violent crime and gangs and put the safety of our communities ahead of partisan political agendas. we celebrate the free market instead of using the heavy-handed government. we work together across party lines on more issues than not and most importantly, we put our people first. in an election year, i don't expect all of us to agree on every issue. every district represented under this gold dome is different and each of you with the unique set of issues to address. over the next 36 legislative days there will be passionate debate, there will be disagreements, there will be tough votes, there will be long nights and maybe even some short

tempers. bring but in the middle of all of that, i also that we also remember georgia is different for a year, that our success is not an accident but the result of a resilient people who elected their leaders to keep state government efficient, responsible and accountable. in georgia we believe the american dream will always provide our people greater prosperity than the government. the state of our state is strong, growing and full of opportunity, let's use this session to keep it this way. thank you all, may god bless you and may god continue to bless the great state of georgia. [cheers and applause] media-rel.

this is just over three and and a half hours.