Chatham County's state lawmakers discuss legislative priorities at annual breakfast

A group of Chatham County's state legislators laid out past work and future legislative goals for issues of workforce development, economic development and education to members of Savannah's business community Thursday. The discussions were part of the annual Eggs & Issues Legislative Breakfast hosted by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce.

This year's legislative breakfast was organized with panels on each issue, those of which were selected based on the priorities of the chamber's membership, said Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce President Bert Brantley. The Chamber of Commerce also provided a list of its legislative priorities to those in attendance which featured tort reform, increased tourism marketing funding and a few transportation items, to name a few.

The legislative breakfast comes with the Georgia General Assembly's next regular session beginning Jan. 8, 2024, and as members of the state delegation have met with community leaders throughout the week. State legislators heard policy asks from universities, nonprofits and other community stakeholders through a full day of meetings Wednesday, and the group is set for a legislative lunch with the Chatham County Board of Commissioners Friday.

"We're blessed with a really great delegation" Brantley said.

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Workforce development

Almost Anytime Savannah government leaders gather these days, workforce development works its way into conversation. The Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) released a workforce study in November showing Coastal Georgia's supply of workers is not enough to fill the nearly 15,000 jobs coming to coastal Georgia by 2025.

Rep. Anne Allen Westbrook (D-District 163) and Sen. Derek Mallow (D-2) were on the panel with Brantley moderating.

Mallow emphasized the need for mixed-income housing. One policy item to help tackle Savannah's housing supply shortage could be multi-layered financing, Mallow said. He also said it's important to talk about housing across income levels, including both affordable and workforce housing, which have different average median income requirements.

"In order to have the workforce, you also have to make sure that they can have housing," Mallow said.

Both legislators also talked about the need for quality childcare to support workers with children. Mallow said that childcare is the second biggest family expense after rent.

Westbrook said that as she talks to constituent businesses, one of the consistent concerns is the need for workers. She also addressed workforce development through the lens of mental health, which is another top concern among constituents, Westbrook said.

A bill passed last year which treats mental health the same as medical health for insurance purposes, Westbrook said. But there was another piece of legislation that died in the Senate, which focused on building physical infrastructure for that type of care. In order to fill those types of facilities, you need workers, Westbrook said.

"I think that workforce development has to deal with buoying business and all the ways business lifts us up," Westbrook said. "But it also gets to some of the challenges that Georgians are facing that will help day one."

Economic development

The economic development panel was moderated by SEDA President and CEO Trip Tollison, with a couple Chatham Republicans touting the benefits of business tax credits in Georgia. One was Chatham Statehouse Delegation Chairman Rep. Ron Stephens (R-District 164), who was influential in passing business tax credits in the legislature, Tollison said.

Stephens pointed to a film tax credit passed by the legislature which has helped fuel Georgia's burgeoning film industry. He also said tax credits have laid the groundwork for economic development in the state and helped it and some of its biggest companies. One of them is Hyundai in Bryan County.

"The things we are doing in Georgia are working," Stephens said.

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Sen. Ben Watson (R-District 1) was also on the panel and said healthcare is a major part of economic development. Watson pointed to the growth of the healthcare field in Chatham County with the strength of Memorial Healthcare System and an incoming medical program at Georgia Southern.

The two Republicans also gave their ideas for how to spend surplus in Georgia's state budget from booming business. Both legislators pointed to tax rebates given by the state and said that should continue.

"I certainly hope we will continue to give it back to those people, who then turn around and spend it again," Stephens said.

Education forecast

Reps. Bill Hitchens (R-District 161), Edna Jackson (D-District 165) and Sen. Billy Hickman (R-District 4) made up the education panel, which was moderated by Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools Board President Roger Moss. Hickman took the topic of literacy, and Jackson focused on higher education and Savannah State University. Hitchens rounded up the panel with a reflection on military education.

Hickman touted SB211 and HB538, education policies geared towards literacy. Hickman was the lead sponsor of SB211, which established the Georgia Council on Literacy and required school systems have a 5-year literacy plan. HB538 requires testing three times a year for Kindergarten through Third Grade in order to track reading levels, Hickman said.

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"We are going to know whether these children are reading on grade level or not, if they are proficient in reading," Hickman said. "If they are not sufficient, then it's the responsibility of that school to come up with a plan to get that child reading on grade level."

Jackson said she is pushing to bring lost programs back to Savannah State, namely its teacher education program. When it comes to money, there needs to be funding based on need instead of enrollment, Jackson said.

She also referenced a vote to increase funding for Georgia Southern, which is bringing a medical program to its Armstrong Campus in Savannah.

"We are watching our universities in this community grow," Jackson said.

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: State legislators from coastal Georgia talk 2024 priorities