(The Center Square) – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp hinted at a special session if lawmakers don’t pass tort reform legislation during his State of the State address Thursday.
The governor also announced a new income tax cut on top of cuts that brought the rate to 5.39%.
“Today, I’m proposing a further cut of 20 basis points, bringing us down to just 5.19% – saving Georgians another $7.5 billion over the next 10 years,” the governor said. “Because, at the end of the day, that’s your money – not the government’s, and here in Georgia, we believe you should keep more of it.”
But the most significant push was tort reform, which the second-term Republican called one of the biggest threats to the state’s future. The governor held three roundtables on tort reform – ideas with purpose to change civil justice system laws so that tort litigation and damages are reduced – last year.
“We heard from a South Georgia grocer, who lost coverage completely after frivolous lawsuits were filed,” Kemp said. “One business owner’s statement stuck out to me. He said, ‘At this point, I don’t feel like I’m able to run my business. I’m just trying not to lose it.'”
Kemp did not give specifics on the legislation but said it would be comprehensive and fair. He called the issue “bipartisan” and encouraged Democrats to support it.
“Whether it’s this legislative session, or a second one later this year, we will achieve meaningful, impactful tort reform,” Kemp said. “Because if we take seriously our mission to keep Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family for the next generation, we have to get off the sidelines and get to work.”
Democrats indicated on social media posts they may not back Kemp’s tort reform bills.
“Translation: Kemp’s final years in office are dedicated to protecting insurance companies, and stealing money from victims,” Georgia Senate Democrats said in a post on social media.
The American Tort Reform Association ranked Georgia fourth in its “Judicial Hellhole” report released last year.
The state’s legal system has worsened over the years, said Hunter Loggins, state director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
He said, “Lawsuit abuse hurts all of us. A 2024 study by The Perryman Group for NFIB and Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse found that excessive lawsuits in Georgia – the ‘tort tax’ – cost a family of four an average of $5,592 a year and caused the loss of 137,658 jobs across the state.”
Kemp also reiterated his plans to add funds for school safety and maternal health.
He also continued to tout Georgia’s health insurance plans. Georgia Access and Georgia Pathways cover 1.5 million Georgians, the governor said.
“And I’m going to keep repeating this until I’m blue in the face, even though many on the other side or in the media don’t want to hear it: we’re covering well over 200,000 more Georgians than traditional Medicaid expansion would cover,” Kemp said. “And those Georgians are on better plans, that deliver better coverage, and lead to better health care outcomes for them and their families.”
Georgia Pathways has been criticized for its low enrollment numbers.
“More than 40% of Georgia’s counties still had fewer than 10 enrollees despite the state having one of the highest percentages of uninsured populations in the nation,” an October analysis by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute said.
