Gov. Kemp congratulates Jackets, speaks on economic development

Dec. 15—THOMASVILLE- Governor Brian Kemp was in the Rose City on Wednesday morning, sharing his congratulations to the new 6A State Champions, the TCC Yellow Jackets, and speaking on Georgia's continuous economic development.

"We want to pass on a big congratulations to Thomas County Central," he said. "There's nothing like Friday night lights in Georgia; it brings a lot of excitement."

Following his congratulations, Kemp spoke on some of the highlights of this year, including a boom in industrial development.

"When I ran, we were really focused on strengthening rural Georgia," Kemp said. "I had been to all 159 counties multiple times, including being right here in Thomasville, visiting with election and elected officials, economic developers, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, just learning a lot about the state and how great rural Georgia is."

Kemp said he already knew Georgia was a great place to live and do business, but he also noted the challenges many rural Georgians face, which is why he placed so much focus on rural communities during his campaign.

"A big part of that was rural broadband, jobs and economic development and healthcare," he explained. "There were great opportunities to discuss quality of life type issues and needed someone who was going to fight for them (rural communities) in Atlanta."

Despite the pandemic, Kemp has had tremendous success in bringing new industries to rural Georgia.

"Coming out of COVID, we've had three years in a row of economic development," Kemp said. "All three of those years, 75-80% of the investment we've seen has been outside of the 10-12 metro counties."

Kemp went on to say that well over half the jobs created have been in the rural part of the state.

"We've really given economic opportunity to all Georgians, no matter where they live," he said proudly. "We've seen that, especially down here in Southwest Georgia, where you have some of the poorest counties in the state."

Kemp pointed out some of the most recent industry announcements including the Anovion Technologies plant that produces batteries in Bainbridge and the Walmart Dairy Facility in Valdosta.

"I know that Valdosta and Bainbridge aren't Thomasville, but it's still South Georgia and a huge investment that will affect the region and help anyone who is a close dairy farmer, have a market, which is good for vertically integrating our ag jobs."

Kemp also shared his excitement for Thomasville's upcoming industry development in Troy Acoustics, which is a $40-million investment, leading to 88 jobs.

"We've just been really excited about what we are seeing down here," Kemp said.

Matching the success of economic development has been Kemp's implementation of rural Broadband.

"In my first budget, we put $40 million into the Rural Broadband program and set up the application process and the grant process," Kemp said. "When COVID hit and the federal money started flowing, we were better prepared than any other state to get that going."

Kemp is now seeing the fruits of his labor in rural Georgia, while still working to implement Broadband across the state.

When speaking on rural Broadband and its widespread need during the pandemic, Kemp acknowledged his decision to be the first state in the country to slowly reopen.

"I know Thomasville saw the effects of the closure during COVID," Kemp said. "Tallahassee was closed at that time, and I know a lot of people were coming in from there and the Panhandle to shop and go out to eat. It really helped our economy boom in this part of the state."

While the decision was widely criticized at the time, Kemp's hope is that people are now grateful for his determination to open the state back up.

Following the pandemic, the nation saw record-high inflation, a jump in gas and oil prices, as well as mortgage rates and insurance costs skyrocket.

"It's a tough environment out there," Kemp said. "We have 60% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck. There's 8.5 million Americans working two jobs just to make ends meet."

According to Kemp, people are spending $11,000 more to keep the same lifestyle they had just two years ago.

"What we've tried to do, with the legislature is help Georgians fight through that," Kemp said. "We've saved Georgia consumers and their families $1.7 billion by suspending the gas tax. We've also done $2 billion in tax rebates, sending Georgians about $500 to put back in their wallets to help them when they go to the gas pump or grocery store."

The suspension of the gas tax was especially integral to the success of farmers, who did not have to pay while hauling peanuts and cotton to the market when commodity prices were down.

Kemp is determined to continue helping hard-working Georgians during this legislative session, where they will vote on the tax cut he has proposed.

"Because of our financial situation, we are going to do another tax bill this year," he said. "We are going to fund a 50 basis points tax cut and then accelerate another 10 basis points early, versus the formula that was passed."

If passed, this bill will take Georgian's tax rate from 5.75 to 5.39, following along with Kemp's plan to eventually reduce it to 4.99.

"We are, in a fiscally responsible way, continuing to reduce the state income tax," he said.

Due to the money-saving options and economic success of Georgia, individuals have continued to move to the Peach State.

However, with success comes a need for an educated workforce, which is one of Kemp's top priorities.

He recently rolled out the GA Match Program, which sends every public and private high school senior a letter informing them of what public institutions they have been accepted into, based on their grades and transcript, without the need for an application.

"They will have to actually register if they decide they want to go to school there, but you aren't having to go through an application process," Kemp explained.

Kemp's hope is that this program reaches the 28-30% of graduates who are not attending a four-year college or technical school.

"These are kids who we don't really know what they are doing and we just want to let them know that they have opportunities to go and learn a trade and get into a job that will change their lives," Kemp said. "I just don't think a lot of parents, caregivers, or even students know they have these opportunities, which are basically tuition-free."

Since rolling out the GA Match Program, technical schools have seen an enrollment increase of 12-13 percent.

"We are just trying to get more people graduated with a skill to match the workforce needs we have out there," Kemp explained. "There's three jobs for every one person looking. So, there is still a lot of need out there."

With that, Kemp passed the baton to his wife, First Lady Marty Kemp, who spoke on her mission of continuing to fight human trafficking and helping with mental health.

Marty has been extremely happy with the results of the 988 suicide hotline, which allows anyone in need to dial the number.

"If you call the 988 number, you don't have to say who you are," Marty explained. "It allows you to talk to someone who's a professional and get the help you need. It's okay to not be okay."

Marty is well-versed in tough topics, including human trafficking.

"It's tough to talk about, but it's a horrible industry that needs to be discussed," she said. "We've passed eight bills that have not only helped the victim but got them out of that life and start a new life."

Marty said there are currently two receiving centers for victims of human trafficking, but her goal is to have one in every region.

Marty thanked the countless volunteer organizations who have helped her advocate for her cause and thanked her husband and other legislators for passing a law that would permanently ban drivers from getting another CDL if they are caught trafficking a child or individuals.

Both Marty and Gov. Kemp appreciated the continuous support they have received and are excited to look toward the future of Georgia and how they can improve the lives of Georgians.