let's keep playing hard for the people who sent  us here let's keep putting hard work in jorgans   and our state's success first let's avoid  distractions and line up together to secure   Victory I believe georg's success his prosperity  and his promise for opport Unity for all are   indeed contagious and it's our job to keep it that  way good evening and welcome to a special 1hour   edition of lawmakers where we dive deep into the  governor's highly anticipated stateof the state   address thank you for joining us I'm Donna Lowry  tonight we'll unpack key issues from the message   like the state's response to Hurricane Helen  taxes and the economy tort reform Public Safety   and healthc Care initiatives state stay tuned as  we play highlights from the governor's speech and   the Democratic response from the Senate minority  leader plus we'll get analysis from two people who   closely follow the gold Dome and state politics  but first let's find out what happened under the   gold Dome today from Capital correspondent Sarah  Callas hi Donna the House and Senate heard more of   Governor Camp's legislative priorities in his  annual State of the State address the morning   started like any other State of the State day with  the House and Senate uniting in the house chamber   senators and the state supreme court justices  joined the house members in anticipation of the   governor's State of the State but when one Senator  was barred from entering a scuffle outside of the   house took a turn I represent 200,000 people in  Northwest Georgia who duly elected me to be here today state senator colon Moore was led out  of the capital in handcuffs after trying to   enter the house chamber Moore was banned from  the house chamber by Speaker John Burns last   year after making disparaging comments  about the late speaker David Ralston I'm   going to ask the doorkeeper of this house  Corey Moy no time in the future will the   senator from the 53rd be allowed to come  into that any room or any property of the house the speaker sent Moore a letter earlier this  week reminding him that he is not allowed in the   chamber unless he publicly apologizes to speaker  ralston's family Moore refused to apologize and   said it was his right to be in the house chamber  during the address Moore was arrested and charged   with willful obstruction of Law Enforcement  Officers after the drama filled morning Governor   Brian Kemp carried on with the State of the State  of address highlighting tort reform in school   safety especially house Republican leadership  said Moore's arrest shouldn't distract from Kemp's   speech well the speaker of the house has the  responsibility of maintaining order and decorum   in the house chamber he's done that here today  uh this Senator caused a very dangerous situation   endangering law enforcement doorkeepers staff  individuals that were present I think that the   house members who were standing behind me and  the members in the chamber were focused on the   Governor State of the State address today and  the important work to be done this legislative   session and that's really what the focus should  be Democrats gave their own reactions to Kemp's   address and said they need more details on  his priorities we heard the governor yet   again say tort reform is his number one issue  where are the details where is the bill as uh   both the Democratic chair and our leader  has said we are open to doing business but   Republicans control the entirety of state  government right and so we are waiting for   them to drop a bill to introduce something in  writing for us to start examining and working   with our colleagues and our constituents to  ensure that we are doing what's in the best   interest of Georgians before adjourning in  the house members held a moment of silence   for a tragedy in Cobb County it is with great  sadness that I have to report that yesterday   afternoon a 12-year-old girl shot herself in  the girl's room at Lenley Middle School which   is right around the corner from where I live  in Mableton she was taken to Cobb um hospital   and she's currently at children's healthc  care of Atlanta right now she's in critical condition the lawmakers were also able to take  a first look at the governor's budget proposals   they reconvene tomorrow for legislative day  five and the annual Martin Luther King Day   celebration is also expected that's my Capital  report Donna thanks Sarah we're going to dig   into the governor's speech now breaking down some  of the important topics I'm happy to have with me   two political junk junkies like me first professor  of political science at Mercer University Chris   Grant he is the author of our Arc of constancy uh  history of the Georgia General SYM it's available   for free download from the Georgia Humanities  Council and the Atlanta Journal constitutions   government reporter Mark nii Mark began with  the AJC in 2013 and joined the politics team in   2017 thank you for joining me today for this full  hour I appreciate it and you came in from mon so   I really I really appreciate it so thank you it's  exciting to be in the big city it yeah here we are   lot's happening uh this marks the governor's  seventh seventh state of the state add and   before we hear a little bit of it how would you  characterize it Chris I'm going to start with you   I often times look for style and whether there's  a subtle communication in the speech or something   that may be going on that is not necessarily what  what's in between the lines I thought he struck a   more bipartisan tone than he has in some other  speeches I thought he was certainly reaching   out to some democratic legislators and I also  thought that he was prepping something for his   future he's leaving doors open and he certainly  is t touting a record of success in Georgia in   this speech that could be used for another kind  of campaign yeah something in the future higher   office what about you mark what what did you  think Governor Kemp really leaned into his   constant refrain of Georgia being the number one  state for business he talked about um the needs of   Georgians to continue recovering from hurricanes  and storms he talked about tax relief and he spent   about a third of the speech talking about tort  reform which we'll get into a bit here as well   but that was the prevailing theme was being really  focused on business and the economy yeah okay well   let's hear a little bit about what he had to say  from him the governor declared in his speech the   state is not only strong but resilient and he  used as an example how Georgians responded to   the devastation of Hurricane Helen with  historic rainfall and mudslides in North   Georgia record floating in Atlanta with over 11  in in just two days in a massive amount of damage   across much of the southeastern United States  hundreds of thousands of Georgians across the   state were victims of that Storm's Fury Georgia  Power reported it was the worst storm they've   ever seen with over 11,800 power poles broken  over 5,800 Transformers damaged and over 20,000   people who worked around the clock to restore  power in total 230 people across the country   lost their lives 34 of them right here in Georgia  including four of our children Marty and I toured   16 of the hardest hit counties in Helen's wake and  in every Community we saw utter Devastation but in   the face of grief and unbearable loss we also  saw every day heroes we saw Neighbors helping   neighbors lending a hand or a chainsaw even when  their own home or Farm was in need of attention we   saw brand new church Outreach Outreach programs  feeding whole towns and we saw First Responders   who put their lives above their own will you  please join me in applauding their bravery courageous men and women like them have to cut  people out of their homes and sadly had to recover   the bodies of those killed by this storm the  heartbreaking loss of these lives is made even   worse by the loss of livelihoods especially  for our farmers and Timber Growers who have   endured over $5.5 billion doll worth of damage  as you know our Farmers needed relief quickly   and efficiently and that's why we repurposed  $1 hundred million to the Georgia Development   Authority last November member to provide direct  financial support for our farmers and Timber   producers it's also along it's also why along  with our Congressional Delegation lieutenant   governor Jones speaker Burns commissioner  Harper many of you and many others urge the   US Congress and the Biden Administration  to FastTrack block grants to our state I   want to extend my deepest gratitude to every  member of Georgia's Congressional Delegation   ation both Republicans and Democrats who voted  to support that legislation I also want to   thank both President Biden and president-elect  Trump for their support of the disaster relief   package as well our people will receive the  aid they desperately need and deserve and for   that I am grateful but rest assured the elected  leaders under this gold Dome we'll stand with   them for as long as necessary to make sure every  Georgian can recover and come back stronger than before so he started with Helen which makes sense  right Mark because the destruction the recovery   all of it top of mine with Georgians right now and  really one of the biggest things to happen last   year that's right it was a huge disaster we're  going to continue to see efforts to provide relief   to Georgians and what form that takes remains to  be seen but I think it's likely that we will see   efforts to rebuild infrastructure and money in the  budget for that that's Road roads Bridges perhaps   money for um purpos those purposes in different  parts of the state and also as the governor   mentioned support for farmers and Timber Farmers  whose businesses were damaged what form that   support takes it's always comes down to some sort  of loans or money or grants how that will be done   remains to be seen but certainly that will be a  Hot Topic because everybody wants to help I think   and there is a strong desire to support those  who were most injured and he went to the federal   government asking for loans for to for Farmers  so that's just the beginning but we're going to   have to see what else happens your your thoughts  on focusing on this topic I think throughout the   speech he does some shout outs and some Applause  to people that are really working very hard and   again this is kind of a Unity speech in some  ways that I thought was a nice touch um because   we've gone through a very partisan cycle and he's  trying to cast I think a slightly different tone   now there's other parts of the speech where he  certainly is going down a partisan path but I do   think in these places where there is commonality  and there is some Unity he went out of his way to   make sure that he praised both President Biden and  president Trump he made sure that he talked about   the entire Congressional Delegation and made sure  that he was pointedly bipartisan in who he was   thinking um and it is true everybody in the state  is committed to seeing recovery from Hurricane   heren it was a horrible disaster yeah we and when  it comes to the the people who weren't Farmers or   the timber involved in the timber industry just  Everyday People suffered absolutely so I mean I   I know my my colleagues out at valasa state were  out for 10 days unable to go into their offices   no power they they suffered a lot hot in that that  storm and still suffering I'm sure absolutely and   everything's not back together that's right well  let's hear some more let's move on to another part   of the governor's message where he commits to once  again providing tax relief between multiple tax   rebates multiple suspensions of the state gas  tax over the past two years the homeowner tax   relief Grant you passed last year and the largest  state income tax cut in history that the members   seated here help helped us accelerate we've  committed to saving Georgia taxpayers over $7.6 billion and because of our conservative approach  to budgeting in this body's support and holding   the line on state spending along with the  incredible economy we've bolstered we're   able to double down on that relief the prior  acceleration you passed last session brought   down the Georgia income tax rate to to a rate of  5.39% down a full 36 basis points from where we   started in 2022 today I'm proposing a further cut  of 20 basis points points to bring us down to just   5.19% saving Georgians another $7.5 billion over  the next 10 years said the state's conservative   budgeting puts him in a position to propose yet  another tax cut uh income tax rate cut and so   certainly not a surprise though right right well  it's always nice to live in a state or govern in a   state that has Rising revenues um there's a lot  of Governors that would love to trade budgets   with Governor km because they don't live in states  where the revenues have been increasing and that   gives the governor choices um and he's choosing  to make the choices in cutting taxes which is   very popular with a lot of people I think some  other people would probably argue that that might   be better spent on doing some things like fully  funding education formulas or fully funding other   areas of the state um we're going through some  prison reform in the near future because we've   been very very conservative in our budgeting and  um so there there's always trade outs with it but   the governor has chosen to do tax um cuts and it's  very popular and it's popular amongst lawmakers as   well yeah there was a pretty blistering report  from the Department of Justice dealing with the   prisons in particular so so on some things um he  has been conservative and they're they're kind of   trying to make up for it but everybody loves a tax  cut right everybody wants some kind of some kind   of rebate sure so this income tax cut would amount  to to 1 billion this year and next year Governor   Kemp talked about the long-term impact over 7  billion which is a lot of money divided among   Georgia's what are we now about 11 million people  and what's interesting to me is he linked this tax   cut to the fight against inflation he talked about  how inflation has hit everybody and Georgians want   more money in their pockets to help be a able to  cost cope with the rising cost of groceries and   other things they see in the store yeah I think I  think people that's another you know have we talk   about the the pocketbook issues that he is so  good at understanding that this is what people   want and um I think you know we'll probably maybe  see another one next year if this works out right   now we're doing pretty well with the budget  there's a surplus again Rising revenues is a   great thing for a state it's it's what everybody  would like to be able to govern in um when you've   got more money coming in than You're Expecting  NE necessarily it makes it a lot better than   governing in a state that has declining revenues  and govern Kim been very very good at stewarding   that yeah he has so let's get to another part and  you you referred to it a little bit a little bit   more meaty the Meat part of the speech I'm calling  it uh tort reform uh the governor has wanted to   tackle this issue for some time year after year  and he said at the end of last year he was going   to get it done this year the process began in  Earnest last year excuse me on several fronts   as we look ahead I believe one of the biggest  threats to Georgia's future is our state's legal   environment last year my office worked with the  general assembly and the insurance commissioner's   office and John King to pass House Bill 1114 this  legislation allowed commissioner King to gather   data and information on Georgia's insurance  industry identify reforms that could be made   to stabilize insurance cost expand choices for  consumers when they need coverage and prevent more   insurance carriers from leaving Georgia altoe the  tort reform legislation my office will introduce   in the coming days will be comprehensive but  fair because in Georgia We Believe those who do   wrong should be held accountable and if you have  been wrong you deserve justice I also believe the   legislation we will be introducing can and  should have bipartisan support making sure   your neighborhood has a grocery store with fresh  food available to a young single mom or an elderly   couple on a fixed income isn't a Republican or a  Democrat issue recruiting an OBGYN or a GI doctor   to your hometown doesn't depend on what lever  you pull in the voting booth stabilizing the   cost of car insurance and ensuring families have  access to affordable housing it's not partisan   it's Common Sense given working people and small  business owners a chance at the American dream is   about who we are as a state not what political  party we support to my Democratic friends there   is no reason we can't tackle Tor reform together  passing anti-hate crimes legislation repealing   repealing the citizens arrest statute and  supporting victims of human trafficking   these are all tough issues but Democrats  and Republicans accomplish them together   together because it was the right thing to do for  all Georgians not just the ones that voted for us lay that out per as a former legislator myself I can promise you  that a vote to support the hardworking men and   women of our state a vote to put them first ahead  of the status quo is never a bad vote but I know   this issue is complicated and will not be easy  to fix there are many different stakeholders   with competing ideas about how to move forward  however doing nothing is no longer an option we   we will do what is right by the people of our  state we will be fair to all in all involved   in this important debate and we will work together  to pass legislation that strikes the right balance   and puts hard work in georan first but also  want to be very clear there's always room for   compromise but there will be no room for excuses  half measures or failure whether it is this   legislative session or perhaps a second one later  this year we will achieve meaningful impactful Tor   reform now he came down hard there he threatened  to call a special session if Tor reform of some   sort isn't passed this session so let's talk  a little bit about that I mean we knew it was   coming but it uh he's he's he's determined that  we're going to see something although we didn't   get specifics that's right he is making this a  key issue for this year's legis ative session   as the governor he can set that agenda what this  is we hear Tor reform what is tor reform it means   caps on lawsuits it means the amount of money that  victims of injuries medical malpractice how much   money they can get when they go to court to Sue  and what is that limit how much money can they   receive when they are injured when a jury finds  that they deserve compensation certainly we heard   from the governor plenty of examples and stories  of insurance rates and doctors having to pay a   lot of money in medical malpractice insurance  and he described all these costs as job Killers   effectively saying that you know it's hard to  have a business if you have to pay so much in   Insurance what we didn't hear is what I expect to  hear a lot of going forward is from the victims   and from The Trial Lawyers the people who say  well they deserve compensation what is the right   amount if you're going to limit their pain and  suffering how much is that really worth in a court   of law if you were injured how much you think  you would deserve for a severe or debilitating   injury and these are tough conversations and I  think it often gets lost when people talk about   t reform this is about lawsuits for people who  are injured and how much should they be limited   certainly we've all heard about huge Awards and  we also have a history in Georgia in 2010 it went   to the Georgia Supreme Court where there was a cap  of $350,000 on pain and suffering and the Supreme   Court unanimously struck that down here we are 15  years later trying again it's interesting because   I juries are willing to give these big Awards  but yet when it comes to the costs on the other   end they're not they're not happy with insurance  going up or some of the other things sure and and   we've seen this particularly with Healthcare in  rural Georgia where we're seeing fewer and fewer   doctors willing to practice with extremely high uh  malpractice insurance rates coming into play and   there's other ways of handling that besides tort  reform I don't want to suggest that that's the   only way that you can handle it but I think tort  reform may be a part of that puzzle that has to   be discussed um and I think people are genuinely  concerned about what's going on with insurance   rates I know personally and I have teenager so  my driving my my my um car insurance has gone up   significantly but health insurance gone up a lot  too and it's cutting into if you start looking   at what your actual disposable income is for many  many people it's getting absorbed into costs that   are no longer covered by insurance or increased  premiums and it's frustrating to people and people   think it's just inflation and they don't realize  where it might be coming from that's being passed   along to them sure and by the same token if I go  in for surgery and the wrong leg gets amputated   which has happened before I want to be able to get  just compensation for it and I'm not sure $350,000   is enough to say for someone who's now going to  spend the rest of their life without legs that's   a real situation that has had to be addressed in  a court of law law dealing with the issue of torts   so it's it's not an it's not a clear path that  says oh yeah just fix tort reform and everything   will be good yes I'm sure there's lots of lots  of plaintiff lawyers that would love to see that   happen but trial lawyers fight for people who  have have really suffered significant loss and   there are some frivolous lawsuits I'm not going to  say that neither exists they both do yeah he took   time to to reach out and and have these round taes  across the state to find out what people thought   um Business Leaders and all he certainly has  business uh with him even with Waffle House and   you know different places so but I want to hear  him talk a little bit more about this he explained   how litigation impacts businesses but both big and  small but he really brought it home with Georgians   when he talked about the real effects it has on  Healthcare and he made it personal personal and   relatable we were told story after Story of  hospitals struggling to recruit and retain   doctors especially OBGYNs and other specialty  disciplines because other states offer stronger   protections for health care providers lower  insurance rates and a More Level Playing Field   in their courtrooms and we've heard from multiple  doctors who wondered how much longer they're going   to be able to practice for fear being targeted  by baseless or excessive lawsuits these stories   highlight a legal environment that leads to fewer  options for Georgians seeking care higher cost and   ultimately worse Health outcomes for our people  yeah that last line fewer options for georgean   seeking care higher costs ultimately worse Health  outcomes for our people I think that's what really   resonates with people don't you think sure I  mean we're paying more and getting less is what   he's saying and I think a lot of us feel that I  mean I think we do we feel on a day-to-day basis   we're paying more and we're not getting as good  of coverage as we had 5 10 15 years ago yeah and   we don't have the the number of doctors not not  just in the rural areas but overall you're we're   not they're not graduating from medical school  as many people that kind of thing so it's it's   really is a problem that medical malpractice  insurance is a big issue with a lot of people   in medicine it's so expensive not just for doctors  but of course it trickles down to all of us in how   much we have to pay not just in health insurance  but those co-pays and out-of pocket expenses are   there it's interesting how this contrasts with the  Democrats position you know Governor Kemp here is   talking about tort reform as a key component of  improving the cost of of healthcare Democrats in   Georgia we've heard for years have consistently  argued for expanding Medicaid as a remedy not   just for lower costs and making healthc care more  affordable for Georgians but also to expand health   coverage and improve quality of life so we have a  contrast in views about the solution for how our   health insurance coverage and health treatment  should be handled it's going to be interesting   to see how these arguments play out and and we'll  we'll keep up with that let's turn on to another   issue the governor's Next Top issue Public Safety  began it began with honoring law enforcement for   their bravery and and specifically the school  resource officers at appalachi high school last   year when a deranged gunman attacked one of our  schools a place that should be safe for everyone   two on site officers confronted and arrested  him within two minutes while numerous local   state law enforcement rush to the scene including  Sheriff judge Smith those two school resource   officers saved many lives at appalache high school  on that horrific day and have more than earned   our gratitude Sergeant Chase Boyd Deputy Brandon  King and Sheriff Smith are here with us today I'd   like to ask them to stand and let us thank them  and their colleagues for their heroic efforts in total we have allocated $294  million for campus safety so   far and my budget proposal includes a  further $159 million for that purpose and just as we're protecting Georgia's  children in our classroom we're go we're   also going after those who Target them  outside of school including gangs and   human traffickers thanks to the vital work  of the members of the grace commission law   enforcement Partners including the gbi's human  trafficking exploitation unit and prosecutors   on the state and local levels all championed by  the nation's best first lady Marty Kim the state now the state has now investigated over  330 human trafficking cases convicted   49 human traffickers and saved roughly 200 lives I want to thank attorney general Chris Carr and  the human trafficking prosecution unit led by   Hannah Palmquist for all that they have done to  help make Georgia a safe place for victims and a   hostile State for the perpetrators the Attorney  General's office has also investigated 140 Gang   Related cases securing 52 convictions and charge  more than 140 individuals and that's just since   the unit was stood up less than two years ago my  budget includes just over $1.2 million to expand   the gang and human trafficking prosecution units  in the Attorney General's office to further this   good work also Marty will spearhead the passage  of her 10th human trafficking bill that will   reinforce the good work of the grace commission  their resilience in fighting this good fight   is why Georgia is leading on this issue and this  latest measure will be yet another reminder that   if you come after our children we are coming  after you strong language there punctuating   at the end with if you come after our children  will come after you certainly feeding into the   fear that people have they want Solutions on this  sure I mean I talked to my two daughters going to   high school in the fall about what to do if they  find out a Shooters in the school I mean parents   have been having those conversations this year  because it's real um and I think it's great to   do more school safety metal detectors are going  up and that's a good thing but we're still not   addressing and and I'm all for the first ladies  um human trafficking work it's important it's   meaningful it is serious work to do and I plot her  for it but we're still not addressing anything to   do with the supply of guns and I think that this  is an issue where yeah there's two sides to it   and we definitely need to talk about having more  school safety and we need resource officers who do   a noble job every day and put their lives on the  line for our kids but we also got to talk about   how did that boy get that gun into that school  there's there's a real question there and how   did he get the gun well Dad gave him the gun but  we we we want to know some things on that end too   yeah I think the the Democrats definitely want to  talk about and we'll hear them talk a little bit   about that later but next let's hear the governor  talk about healthc Care physical and mental health   Mental Health Services like this are improving  the quality of Health Care and access in our state   as is the newly launched state-based exchange  which is the latest Milestone on the plan we   laid out in the Patient First Act of 2019  these ongoing efforts are lowering the   cost of premiums and increasing the number of  those insured in Georgia in fact since I took   office the combined work of Georgia access and  Georgia Pathways is covering over 1.5 million   people across our state I will continue to  repeat this until I'm blw in the face even   though many on the other side are in the media  do not want to hear it we are covering well over   200,000 more Georgians than traditional  Medicaid expansion would cover and those and it's important to remember those Georgians  are on better plans that deliver better coverage   and lead to Better Health outcomes for them  and their families in fact since I've taken   office we've seen over 93 provider rate  increases through traditional Medicaid   and costs to the state have grown by more  than $250 million per year so when you hear   someone say that fully expanding traditional  Medicaid is fiscally responsible know that   they are selling you a bill of goods because  the numbers simply don't match the rhetoric   in total Georgia spends over $4.2 billion  doar for Medicaid in our state and there   are those who say the program only needs more  money to succeed well I respectfully disagree   with the new Administration coming to Washington  I'm looking forward to furthering our Innovative   approach to Health Care access which is  making Georgia a leader in this field and   as I announced yesterday alongside lieutenant  governor Jones and speaker Burns we're making   it even easier to sign up for the Georgia  Pathways program that helps georan start a   rewarding career get a degree attain Real World  skills and ultimately receive Better Health Care   coverage now with this he reiterated a lot of what  he announced in his press conference yesterday so   that was a new he's definitely standing firm on  that he does not want to expand Medicaid it's not   going to happen under his watch that's right he  keeps making that clear that Medicaid expansion   Medicaid is health insurance for people with low  incomes generally speaking and Governor Kemp is   dug in on his plan of Georgia Pathways which so  far has not enrolled too many people although   Governor Kemp and his administration says it give  it time they're working on it and these things are   being rolled out and he believes that this plan  and this strategy will be effective in the long   run especially considering that President Trump  president-elect trump is coming into office and   who knows what will happen to the federal spigot  of money for programs such as Medicaid so what the   governor is doing is he is being very clear that  Medicaid expansion is not something that he will   accept this session even though in recent years  there has been tiny movement and a little bit of   growing acceptance of expanding Medicaid services  it does not look like that is going to be on the   table this year yeah certainly he has done it  in the maternal uh healthc care area and just   a little bit but not not a lot and he's he's he's  not hearing it and I'm interested in when the data   is really showing up for Georgia Pathways if it  is superior to Medicaid expansion more power to   him however if we look at health care cost one of  the big drivers of Health Care cost is uninsured   individuals and that's driving cost up because  hospitals aren't able to recoup those costs and   that means the insured have to pay more in order  to cover those costs so um getting more people in   insurance is the key to um driving down the market  for HealthCare coverage okay we'll see ended   speech with of course a football reference he's  done that in the past he quoted his football coach   who is he says winning is contagious and he said  despite unprecedented challenges that Georgia has   enjoyed historic success so um final thoughts  anything as we wrap up on this sure with the   football analogy at the beginning of his speech  he talked about Georgia being resilient we also   remember Georgia coach Kirby Smart talking about  how Georgia is resilient and on the football field   and I think we are seeing that framing that theme  continuing of Georgia coming back from disasters   and emerging Victorious ah next year huh all  righty all right stay with me because coming up   we'll hear from the other side of the aisle with  the Democratic response to the State of the State   when this special one hour lawmakers continues  Georgia Farm Bureau a Grassroots organization   dedicated to preserving Georgia agriculture Farm  Bureau advocates for all Georgia Farmers at the   state capital during the session and year round  Georgia Farm Bureau the voice of Georgia Farmers   it's good to have everyone back together good news  indeed put your feet up a minut it's beautiful   how does that sound to be a man that's what I  love doing good more double whiskey hurry up   freshly baked biscuits always well  this is all proving rather cozy isn't it understanding the past  gives a sense of the future   Heart Like a Lion this is the first  time that anyone has seen this in 2,000 years this is amazing well I'm  excited now Pompei is a battle against time you think I'm joking but  look at this it did really happen   don't let anybody tell you who you  are history teaches us to honor the past when you look back you're like wow that  was pretty special this is something that's   actually altering the course of history  you're charged with keeping these stories alive welcome back to law ERS I'm Donna Lowry  I'm pleased to have here for analysis the ajc's   government reporter Mark nii and Mercer University  Professor Chris Grant thanks for sticking around   we heard Governor Kemp talk about a number of  issues including tort reform and Public Safety   now the Democratic response to the State of the  State Senate minority leader Harold Jones thei   begins on a personal note my fellow Georgians  I'm Harold Jones the Democratic Senate minority   leader in the Georgia State Senate I was born in  honol Hawaii but raised in Augusta Georgia home   of Fort Eisenhower and The Godfather Soul James  Brown like most Georgians I come from a middle and   workingclass family my father was in the Air Force  and my mother was a teacher tonight I am honored   to speak with you about how we can make Georgia  work for everyone and not just a few as the   minority leader along with the Senate and House  Democrats I understand it is our job to fight for   middle and workingclass families so let's take a  few minutes and talk about Georgia unfortunately   under this Administration two georgas have emerged  there is a republican Georgia which has only   valued corporate interests and profits and there  is a Georgia where hardworking people work two and   three jobs but still struggle to pay their bills  afford good housing afford better medical care or   take care of their family members in their time  of need and many of our fellow citizens are One   Financial emergency away from ruin see there are  families all across Georgia from Dalton to vasta   Columbus to Savannah or Augusta to Atlanta who  face difficult economic choices tonight there   are mothers and fathers who are burdened because  of child care costs tonight all over this state   there are Georgians who cannot afford to buy a  home because of rising housing costs and those   who were in apartments could face eviction  because of Skyrocket skyrocketing rental   costs tonight there are over 500,000 hardworking  uninsured Georgians who cannot afford good Medical   Care Georgians face real problems that deserve  real solutions unfortunately this Administration   and Republicans in the general assembly have  not given us any solutions you see to them the   only thing that matters is George is the number  one state to do business and we should be proud   of that achievement but what the administration  of Republicans failed to realize is that georg's   dream bigger than that Republicans and the  governor fail to understand how to Value people   not just profits Georgians one a state where we  are the number one state for public education   we're the number one state for Health Care the  number one state to afford a home and above all be   the number one state to raise a family Georgians  have that vision and it is a vision I have and so   do Democrats in the Senate the house and the  Democratic party now some will say we cannot   achieve that Vision they will point to the  fact that the governor refuses to close the   healthc care coverage Gap and allow hardworking  Georgians Access to Health Care they will point   to the fact that this administration's refusal to  expand Health Care means 500,000 Georgians will   go without hair Health Care it will cause rural  hospitals to close and Med medical professional   to leave the state some will say the vision  cannot be obtained because they see that child   care costs are rising above the national average  that housing costs continue to rise and they just   do not see on the agenda that people matter  over politics I would say you're looking at   the wrong agenda the Democratic Senate agenda  is simple people matter you matter and your   family matters Governor's Kamp agenda does not  work for families our our agenda does we don't   want you to have to choose between working  and providing child care for your children   we propose policies to meet this challenge we  want to increase Cap's eligibility we want to   use a portion of that $16 billion Surplus that  the governor currently sits on Republicans want   to use that money to help corporations we want  to use that money to help you real investment in   our child care system will achieve the vision to  make Georgia the best place to raise a family we   believe affordable housing is important it is an  investment in you an investment in our Workforce   and above all an investment on our communities  we can achieve this Vision by reducing barriers   to building housing and providing incentives for  investment and Workforce in middleclass housing   unlike this Administration we look at housing as  a way to invest and improve our community not as   a way to allow corporate landlords to drive up the  cost of your rent and mortgage we understand that   Health Care is not a handout it is a necessity to  living a vibrant and productive life because it a   necessity Georgians deserve the peace of mind  that quality affordable health care coverage   brings no matter their zip code and this burden  of medical debt that so many Georgians have or   fear having is not right and it can be eliminated  but the governor would not give up on his Pathways   program this program has only been a pathway to  failure a pathway to more medical debt a pathway   to deprive Georgian access to health care and  improving the Health Care System overall why   Republicans refuse to move on Pathways is beyond  comprehension it is time to end this failed and   costly Pathways program and give Georgians real  access to healthare and save the Health Care   system in Georgia in more than that Governor Kemp  and Republicans will increase insurance premiums   of millions of Georgians by 85% if they get rid  of the Biden's President Biden's tax credits   for the ACA premiums we must take action to stop  Georgians from facing premium increases of almost   $177,000 a year the Georgia Senate Democrats  believe making Georgia the number one state   is achieved through good public education and  it can work in every community no matter there   ZIP code or income it is clear the Republicans  in this Administration do not believe in public   education they've consistently underfunded public  education worst of all last year Republicans   passed legislation to allow your tax dollars  to be used to pay for profit private schools   this legislation will decimate rural education  and [ __ ] our education system for decades we   and you want our State dollars to go to public  education we want to invest in the future of   Georgia by investing and promoting good Public  Schools instead of creating ways to fund private   corporations to deliver poor private education  this Administration should invest in our Public   Schools improve public education and improve our  communities and our children's lives we cannot   be the number one place for families if we do not  protect our families and Public Safety is always   always Paramount to the Georgia Senate Democratic  caucus as a former prosecutor I understand that we   must punish criminals and protect the innocent  where necessary we where necessary we support   strong Common Sense anti-gang legislation  and legislation that protects the public from   criminals but we also must protect our children  and families from gun violence that is why we   have proposed Common Sense gun legislation red  flag laws laws to take guns away from domestic   violence abusers yet this Administration and the  Republicans refuse to promote good legislation   that will protect our families from gun violence  lastly when we talk about being the number one   state for families we must recognize that all  people must be treated fairly we will continue   to promote and fight for woman's decision about  her body and reproductive choice and we will   protect the humanity of all of our citizens  and we will not allow cultural War issues to   distract us from our vision our vision is clear  under our leadership there will be no two longer   Two Georges we will be one Georgia one Georgia  that's based on family community Faith love and   a desire to do what is right for every citizen  and above all we always put you your family   and your community over corporate profits let's  continue this journey together knowing that our   vision will occur and Georgia will be the number  one state for families in the greatest nation on   Earth thank you God bless God bless Georgia and  God bless the United States of America so the   Democratic response certainly different from the  State of the State and into some issues that the   governor did not get into including education and  the abortion that kind of thing that's right it's   a real difference in Vision uh we heard Governor  Kemp talk a lot about cutting taxes about keeping   Georgia a strong state for business about reducing  costs of caused by inflation what we heard from   Senate minority leader Harold Jones was talking  about health care talking about education talking   about affordable housing so those are not the same  things that Governor Kemp was focused on and this   is a decision for well voters made that decision  in November to some extent when they voted in our   senators and representatives for new twoyear terms  but this is the contrast that always exists in   Georgia and between the two political parties  where which of these issues are most important   to voters where do they stand did you were you  surprised the governor didn't talk about education   I was surprised we didn't get more details  he talked a little bit about school resource   officers and school safety but what does that look  like what bills will we see this session are we   going to see something you know the easiest thing  or perhaps the most talked about thing would be   something to do with gun safes right there's been  talk about tax credits for purchasing gun safes   we've heard of Democrats wanting much more than  that but um even giving money back to Gun Owners   if they store their guns safely seems like it  could have some bipartisan support yeah we didn't   hear anything about teacher pay raises that we've  heard from him in the past uh what your overall   thoughts I I'm struck by the fact that we were  talking about the increased revenues the state has   which is good and what do you do with the money  do you get tax cuts which has a lot of people   supporting it or do you improve education or do  you do child care benefits or do you Health Care   expansion or what do you do with this money this  resource and we're limited by the amount of money   that's there and we have some real catastrophes  that have to be dealt with but there's a choice   that every government has to make about those  things you don't get everything you have to   choose between them I think the Democrats have a  different vision of what to do with that money but   if you want to create a state that's number one  for business you're also going to create a state   that has higher child care cost higher rent cost  higher cost for a lot of things that people are   looking at you don't get one without the other and  so you have to make choices about how you're going   to um administrate the money and I'm not saying  this moment that I think oh tax cuts are Terri   idea I just think that people don't always get  the choice that has to be made in what that means   and what it means to individuals and I'm I look I  like paying less taxes so I'm I'm good about that   so the the tough part for the Democrats is it  is a republican control legislature I mean the   the state overall and you know they're they're  really fighting an uphill battle for some of   their priorities sure ultimately Republicans have  the votes in Georgia and both house the house   and the Senate but that doesn't mean Democrats are  powerless right um there are areas for bipartisan   agreement there are also areas where Democrats can  potentially stand in the way including Governor   Camp's number one priority tort reform right that  is not necessarily a Democrat or Republican issue   we will see the details of it but where will  that come down I wouldn't be at all surprised   if it does need some democratic help to some  extent to make it happen you may want it to   be so that people so that you it is it does have  bipartisan support so that it looks it looks good   to everybody so it's easier to sell to everybody a  little bit sure and the days of the super majority   are over for the Republicans they are 10 votes  that they can hold if they lose 10 votes they   can go down they can lose a a vote um they have  a 10 vote Advantage U 100 to to 80 in the house   and um 23 33 in the Senate right yeah yeah yeah  2 23 so five votes in the Senate 10 votes in the   house lose Republicans have not always been able  to hold their party together um they have some   members that have deviated from the script  that they've been given by the leadership it   was certainly something that um last speaker had  to deal with on a number of cases and he looked   to getting Democrats to fill in the ranks when  he couldn't get his own caucus together so the   idea that you can just say oh Republicans hold the  majority and they can put everything through yes   they they they have a majority and they have an  advantage and I think anybody would rather be in   their seat than the Democrat seat but it has not  always led to overwhelming support and Easy Ride   for legislation from the governor yeah it struck  me that Senator uh leader Jones's tone was more   you know getting to the heartstrings rather than  we you know just really hammering something home   and maybe that's the best way to to get people to  understand their position on things right right   it's are you going to appeal to the pocketbook  issues or are you going to appeal to the needs   of what people might feel in their specific  situations healthc care education most importantly   on the other hand the economy consistently ranks  as the number one issue among voters in Atlanta   Journal Constitution surveys including this week's  right it's still the number one issue so where do   the people of Georgia really land what is most  important for them I think most of them it's a   very healthy mix so a mix of different things  and anything else you want to point out about   your survey while I while you're here well  there's tons there on transgender Sports on   popularity of the governor and other politicians  in the state we might have upcoming coverage   on guns and gun rights and the economy as well  okay we're going to take a look thank you both   for being here that does it for lawmakers today  we thank you so much for joining us have a good evening for