Georgia House budget writers support Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan to give state employees a $2,000 raise, but want to double the pay rise for state employees and increase their pay by $4,000.
On education, they oppose the Republican governor’s plan to end the current two-tier system of college scholarships and pay full college tuition to all eligible students. They want high school students who only earned a B-average to continue paying a small percentage of their tuition.
These are two of the biggest budget changes the House Budget Committee voted to approve on Wednesday. House Bill 19 also emphasizes paying higher rates to health care providers and expanding opportunities to train new health workers.
The full House is expected to debate the spending plan on Thursday.
“Given the increased attention to law enforcement and its activities, we believe an increase is warranted,” said House Appropriations Committee Chair Matt Hatchett, a Dublin Republican.
The budget would spend $32.4 billion in federal funds in 2024 beginning July 1. If you count federal and other money, the state would spend more than $61 billion. Both numbers are down slightly from this year. The state ended last year with $6.6 billion in excess cash, but Kemp hasn’t outlined plans to spend most of it.
Georgia’s budget funds the education of 1.75 million K-12 students and 465,000 college students, housing 48,000 state prisoners, paving 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers) of highways and caring for more than 200,000 people who are mentally ill , developmentally disabled, or dependent on drugs or alcohol.
All state and university employees and public school teachers would get $2,000 in raises, but Hatchett said the state needs to keep increasing salaries for state police officers and other officials to compete with offers from cities, counties and neighboring states .
Aside from the additional $13 million in pay increases for law enforcement officials, the state would increase salaries by $3 million for state forest service employees and $2.3 million for driver license-issuing employees.
The House of Representatives also plans to grant $500 in bonuses to 54,000 retirees under the state employee pension system, as approved by lawmakers this year.
The House of Representatives would spend $1.25 million to create a state police post in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, a state response to crime concerns in the affluent area after Kemp and lawmakers rejected a proposal to allow Buckhead residents to over to vote for Atlanta’s secession.
House Clerks are also proposing $2.7 million for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate cold cases, $1.4 million to hire 21 more forensic scientists to analyze gun and drug evidence, and $2.5 million Dollars for sex assault nurse examiners.
Hatchett said members of the House wanted to keep the two-tier system of HOPE grants. He says students who meet the more stringent Zell Miller scholarship requirements should get more money than high school seniors who qualify for the regular HOPE scholarship with a B average. Currently regular HOPE recipients receive 90% of the tuition fees. The House plan would pay 95% but not all tuition as Kemp had suggested.
“These students must continue to be recognized at a different level than everyone else,” Hatchett said. “You worked hard to get this; You worked hard through high school.”
The House would use $15 million to increase HOPE grant payments to private colleges. Hatchett said the house would also pay higher health insurance costs for pre-kindergarten teachers employed by public school districts.
The House of Representatives would double spending to $20 million on a new program to meet the financial needs of college students who are about to graduate from two-year and four-year colleges. Representatives would increase funding for colleges to teach nursing, trucking and aviation.
The budget would allocate $35 million in state money to increase Medicaid payments to health care providers. Representatives would also mandate $35 million in spending on various mental health programs.
“As you all know, there is inflation,” Hatchett said. “We have many agencies and people who help our citizens through this state who, like everyone, compete for labor.”
The state would create 375 more slots to pay for home services for people with intellectual, developmental or physical disabilities. The state funded 500 this year but still has thousands on a waiting list.
Georgia would spend $2.8 million to provide routine dental services to adults on Medicaid. Now only emergency dental services are paid for.
The state would also send another $20 million from gas taxes to cities and counties for road works. Hatchett said this is part of a five-year plan to increase local street funding from $200 million to $300 million.
