Jan. 17, 2025 – Issue 01

Greetings, and welcome to "From the Capitol Steps" (FTCS). The Cobb Chamber publishes FTCS weekly during the Georgia General Assembly session to keep the business community informed about key developments at our state capitol. A crucial part of the Chamber's advocacy efforts involves collaborating with our local state legislative delegation representing Cobb and the broader General Assembly to pass bills and policy measures that uphold Georgia's status as the top state for business. The 2025-2026 biennium kicked off on Monday, Jan. 13. Below is a recap of Week One down at the state capitol, and a few items leading up to it.
 

2025 Chamber Legislative Priorities

Preparation for the legislative session at the Cobb Chamber starts in the fourth quarter of the previous year. The 2024 Government Affairs Committee (GAC), chaired by Hillary Thrower, developed and submitted the 2025 Legislative Agenda to the full Chamber Board for its approval on November 18, 2024.

Sharon Mason, President and CEO, presented the priorities to the Cobb Legislative Delegation at their annual pre-session meeting with other business and community organizations on Dec. 12, 2024. The Chamber was honored once again to host this meeting at its offices adjacent to The Battery.

The legislative priorities are divided into five policy areas:

• Economic & community development
• Transportation, mobility & infrastructure investment
• Education & workforce development
• Healthcare
• Continued support for Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Our Defense Community

You can click here to access the 2025 Cobb Chamber Legislative Agenda.

Georgia Rated the #1 State for Best Business Climate

On Wednesday January 8, Governor Brian Kemp announced that Georgia has been selected as the #1 state for Best Business Climate. This survey is completed each year and published by Site Selection Magazine.

Governor Brian Kemp provided a statement within the office’s release that “Georgia’s recognition as the No. 1 state for Best Business Climate by Site Selection is a testament to our partnership approach to job creation and economic growth,” “Our world-class workforce, strategic investments in infrastructure, and business-friendly policies continue to attract companies from around the world and create opportunities for hardworking Georgians in every community.”

2025 Wild Hog Supper

On Sunday, January 12, the annual Wild Hog Supper was held at the Georgia Freight Depot. Hosted by Feeding Georgia in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the Wild Hog Supper serves as the kickoff event for the legislative session in Georgia, and provides a networking opportunity for state legislators, local officials, community organizations, and citizens. Proceeds from the Wild Hog Supper go to support the Feeding Georgia Farm to Food Bank Program, which supports efforts to reduce food insecurity across the state.

Pictured: Coleman Loftin, Government Relations Senior Manager,
and Congressman Buddy Carter of Georgia’s 1st Congressional District.

Georgia Chamber Eggs & Issues

Considered the annual kick off to the session for announcing major issues for the executive and legislative branches, the Georgia Chamber welcomed the Speaker of the House, the Lt. Governor and the Governor to the stage Tuesday, Jan. 14 to address a packed ballroom at the Georgia World Congress center full of attendees from across the state.

During his remarks, Speaker Jon Burns released a robust agenda for the House, which includes:

• “Immediate action” to distribute funds and address the ongoing impact of Hurricane Helene in Georgia.
• Legislation to improve information sharing among school districts and authorities and access to mental health care for every student; improving the state’s literacy rates; and protecting the integrity of girls’ sports.
• Support for the state’s Pathways program and improving access to healthcare; legislation protecting IVF, focusing on training, attracting and retaining medical professionals.
• Continued support for public safety and new funding to improve the state’s corrections institutions.

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones was part of a fireside chat where he discussed the need for additional measures to address red tape and regulatory burdens on Georgia businesses. He also discussed his plan for a child tax credit to help lower the cost of childcare for working individuals. Along with support for increased investment in infrastructure, Jones also touted the need for judicial reform.

Governor Kemp teased out some of his priorities at breakfast prior to his State of the State event, which was Thursday, Jan. 17. Most notable for the local chambers in the room was the following excerpt from his speech:

“Tort reform will be my top legislative priority for this upcoming session, and I look forward to sharing more about those plans in the coming weeks. But I need your help. Every local or regional chamber in this room has a critical role to play this session to make sure we finally get tort reform done.

“I’m asking you to engage earlier and harder than you ever have. Talk to your members, get them involved, and give them the tools necessary to be influential with their House and Senate delegation.

In fact, given the seating chart here, local chamber delegations, you can take this opportunity to give your legislators a look or a nudge under the table.

They need to hear from you not just today, this week, or this month. They need to hear from you and your members every day from now until Sine Die.”

Governor’s State of the State

On Thursday, Jan. 17 in his 2025 State of the State address, Governor Brian Kemp highlighted Georgia's resilience in the face of recent challenges, including natural disasters and economic upheaval. He emphasized the state's strong economic performance, ongoing tax cuts, and a significant budget surplus. Kemp also underscored his commitment to tort reform, making it his top legislative priority. Additionally, he acknowledged the need for bipartisan cooperation, particularly in areas like Medicaid expansion and public safety.

Budget Update

In next the next issue of FTCS, we will do a deeper dive into the Governor’s Budget recommendations as the Joint Appropriations Committee meets the week of Jan. 21.

A few of the Governor’s budget priorities include:

Amended FY 2025

• $1,000,000,000 for one-time additional refunds from prior year undesignated surplus funds to taxpayers for tax year 2024.
• $530,000,000 for infrastructure projects that enhance economic development while promoting freight and logistics efficiency and safety for the agricultural, manufacturing, and distribution industries.
• $250,000,000 for the Georgia Fund to support water and wastewater infrastructure development across the state through low-interest loans to local communities.
• $250,000,000 for local maintenance and improvement grants through the Department of Transportation’s Local Road Assistance Program.
• $50,000,000 in one-time funds for additional school security grants to K-12 public schools to improve school safety.
• $7,422,147 to provide salary parity between Pre-K teachers with K12 teachers by moving to the State Board of Education salary schedule.

FY 2026

• $3,928,500 to provide 500 additional state funded slots in the Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program.
• $2,331,025 for 100 new slots for the NOW/COMP Waiver Program for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• $1,250,000 to establish a High Demand Equipment Grant to support K-12 vocational classrooms in high needs areas statewide.
• $60,000,000 for the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank’s competitive grant and loan program to support local transportation infrastructure projects.

The Governor’s Amended FY 25 and FY 2026 budget proposals can be found here.

Cobb Legislative Delegation Updates

New committee assignments for both the House and the Senate have been released this week, and the Cobb County Legislative Delegation will be well represented during the 2025 legislative session.

The Cobb Delegation’s committee assignments include:

Senator John Albers
Public Safety – Chairman; Finance – Vice Chairman; Appropriations; Government Oversight; Regulated Industries and Utilities; Rules; Urban Affairs

Senator Jason Esteves
Agriculture and Consumer Affairs; Children and Families; Ethics; Finance; State and Local Government Operations

Senator Donzella James
Urban Affairs – Chairwoman; Interstate Cooperation – Vice Chairwoman; Appropriations; Economic Development and Tourism; Education and Youth

Senator Kay Kirkpatrick
Children and Families – Chairwoman; Health and Human Services – Vice Chairwoman; Insurance and Labor – Secretary; Appropriations; Government Oversight; Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security

Senator Michael “Doc” Rhett
Finance; Judiciary; Reapportionment and Redistricting; Regulated Industries and Utilities; Rules

Senator Ed Setzler
Science and Technology – Chairman; State and Local Governmental Operations – Vice Chairman; Health and Human Services – Secretary; Education and Youth; Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security

Representative Solomon Adesanya
Economic Development and Tourism; Governmental Affairs; Small Business Development

Representative Lisa Campbell
Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight; Human Relations and Aging; Interstate Cooperation

Representative John Carson
Retirement – Chairman; Appropriations; Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications; Insurance; Rules; Transportation; Ways and Means

Representative Sharon Cooper
Public and Community Health – Chairwoman; Health; Human Relations and Aging; Intragovernmental Coordination; Judiciary Non-Civil; Regulated Industries; Rules; Special Committee on Healthcare

Representative Terry Cummings
Banks and Banking; Public Safety and Homeland Security; State Properties

Representative Ginny Ehrhart
Information and Audits – Vice Chairwoman; Intragovernmental Coordination – Vice Chairwoman; Higher Education; Interstate Cooperation; Regulated Industries – Secretary; Technology and Infrastructure Innovation; Transportation

Representative Joseph Gullett
Appropriations: Judiciary Subcommittee – Chairman; Banks and Banking; Governmental Affairs; Insurance; Judiciary Non-Civil; Judiciary, Juvenile; Technology and Infrastructure Innovation

Representative Sheila Jones
Appropriations; Health; Judiciary, Juvenile – Secretary; Transportation; Ways and Means

Representative Mekyah McQueen
Code Revision; Creative Arts and Entertainment; Special Rules

Representative Don Parsons
Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications – Chairman; Appropriations; Code Revision; Health; Intragovernmental Coordination; Special Committee on Resource Management; Technology and Infrastructure Innovation; Ways and Means

Representative Jordan Ridley
Code Revision – Vice Chairman; Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications - Secretary; Game, Fish, and Parks; Public Safety and Homeland Security

Representative Gabriel Sanchez
Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight; Governmental Affairs; Interstate Cooperation

Representative Devan Seabaugh
Creative Arts and Entertainment – Vice Chairman; Industry and Labor – Vice Chairman; Appropriations: Health Subcommittee – Vice Chairman; Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications; Public and Community Health; Transportation

Representative Michael Smith
Economic Development and Tourism; Interstate Cooperation; Regulated Industries; State Properties – Secretary; Transportation

Representative David Wilkerson
Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight; Education; Judiciary, Juvenile; Retirement

Representative Mary Frances Williams
Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications; Governmental Affairs; Natural Resources and Environment; Retirement

Session Dates Set

For the third session in a row, the House and Senate Leadership released the most coveted information under the Gold Dome – the session calendar through Sine Die.

Important dates to note:
Appropriations Hearing: Tues., Jan. 21 – 24, 2025 (non-session days)
Thursday, March 6 – Crossover Day – Day 28
Friday, April 4 – Sine Die – Day 40

Your Capitol Team

Amanda Seals, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations, is joined this year by new Cobb Chamber team member Coleman Loftin. Coleman joined the Chamber on Dec. 2, 2024, as its new senior manager for Government Relations.

Coleman brings extensive governmental experience from his role as a Senior Associate in Government Advisory at Mauldin & Jenkins in Atlanta. There, he managed client and stakeholder communications, prepared responses to government proposals, and authored engagement reports, including operational assessments for various clients across the Southeast. He also collaborated with the Government Advisory team to deliver professional services to state and local government entities.

Coleman holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Georgia. His experience includes internships with the GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, and the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government Office.

If you have any questions about the Cobb Chamber Government Affairs Committee, the Cobb Chamber legislative priorities or legislative advocacy in general, please reach out to Amanda Seals, Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations.