Gov. Brian Kemp (R) put his signature on a budget plan for FY 2027, marking the eighth and final time he will do so. Kemp is wrapping up his second term in office.
Prior to signing the budget bill, Kemp cut $300 million in new spending to keep it in balance at $36.6 billion. Kemp said the cuts were necessary to address changes in anticipated revenue following his approval of the personal income tax cuts and property tax cap. Kemp said the cuts he made were to what he called “new spending.”
Even with the spending cuts, Kemp warned the state faces a shortage.
“The state must now address a reduction in revenue for the coming fiscal year of nearly one-billion dollars,” Kemp said, “and that’s assuming we don’t have an economic downturn.”
Attendees at the post-legislative session breakfast, sponsored by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, learned that one item of importance to metro Augusta remains intact in the FY2027 budget.
Rep. Mark Newton (R-District 127) assured attendees that funds to help develop the Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Technology Training Facility were untouched.
“I was thrilled to see that, just down the road, the advanced manufacturing training center, the expansion in Columbia County of Augusta Tech,” said Newton. “A new thing that we can have more of the jobs that many of you out here want to hire people, who want people to be trained with, maybe AI-enabled manufacturing and other things. I was glad to see that that was not on the chopping block, that $2.7 million state portion of that.”
The facility, first announced in 2023, is a project with Augusta Technical College. It is planned to be 81,000 square feet and will house programs including engineering technology, chemical technology, and industrial automation while providing a place for development projects.
Kemp said the FY2027 budget keeps with his tradition of prioritizing education, community health, public safety, along with agriculture and forestry, the state’s number one industry.
“Yet again, we’re fully funding our K-12 classrooms, funding growth in the HOPE Scholarship and Grant programs, fulfilling our prior commitment to increase the number of residency slots, and funding other key priorities that will grow our state’s healthcare workforce,” Kemp explained. “With the launch of our Career Navigator System, those students will have an easier time connecting with opportunities once they’ve completed their academic careers.”
Kemp said there are just two areas that mark a significant new and ongoing commitment in the FY2027 budget:
- The literacy measures championed by the Speaker and members of the legislature.
- The enhanced retirement benefits for state law enforcement, which is something I believe is critical to the future safety and well-being of our state, and something our men and women in state law enforcement certainly deserve.
Kemp closed by saying his goal in his final year as governor is the same as when he entered office, keeping Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family.
“As I’ve said many times, our state’s success has been a team effort, and I greatly appreciate that partnership with leaders and members both past and present,” Kemp concluded. “But those successes are not guaranteed in the future. Downturns and tough times will come. Reserves can be erased. Future budget decisions might be more painful than those we’re making today. And I have confidence that future governors and legislators will heed that advice.”
