(The Center Square) – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the fiscal year 2026 spending plan Friday and praised the state’s conservative budgeting.
Lawmakers agreed not to add bonds in the $37.7 billion budget. The House of Representatives recommended $321 million in bonds for capital projects but Kemp and the Senate opposed them.
“I’m especially proud we’re doing so – for the second straight year – with cash, meaning for two straight years we have not added any new debt,” Kemp said of the $715 million in projects in the capital budget. “That brings our state’s debt service-to-revenue ratio to the lowest level in Georgia history. And it ultimately means we’ll save taxpayers 150 million dollars per year for the next 20 years in future debt service costs we won’t have to pay… on top of the billions saved in tax refunds and tax cuts we’ve implemented over the past several years.”
Kemp and the General Assembly advocated for an additional $200 million to fund salary increases and new positions with the Georgia Department of Corrections.
The budget includes $300 million more for K-12 education and $49.7 million additional dollars for mental health initiatives in the state’s schools.
The Georgia Promise scholarship, the state’s school choice program that begins with the 2025-26 school year, added $141 million to the education portion of the budget.
The budget passed the House by a vote of 151-4 with two Republicans, Rep. Charlice Byrd of Woodstock and Rep. Noel Kahaian of Locust Grove, joining with three Democrats to oppose it.
Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, cast the sole “no” vote in the Senate.
