Kemp Says He’s Delivered On Promises During First 100 Days

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Gov. Brian Kemp speaks at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport Wed. April 24, 2019, 100 days into his tenure as governor.

It’s been 100 days since Gov. Brian Kemp was sworn into office, and he says those days have been filled with keeping promises he made on the campaign trail.

In between the whir and whine of planes taking off at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport Wednesday, Kemp said his administration has been strengthening rural communities, reforming state government and investing in education throughout his first legislative session.

Before taking off for Macon, the governor listed pieces of his agenda the state legislature passed, including a historic $3,000 pay raise for teachers and other school employees.

“A lot of those issues, like I said during the campaign, are things that a vast majority of Georgians believe in: a teacher’s pay raise, keeping our kids safe when they’re in school, doing something about health care,” he said. “Not just talking about doing it, but actually accomplishing something.”

The amended budget for this fiscal year includes more than $69 million for one-time school safety grants, which Kemp said while campaigning would be part of a larger push to address mental health in schools.

The Patients First Act allows the state to seek waivers to the state's Medicaid program to explore ways to potentially insure more Georgians.

The teacher pay raise is shy of the campaign promise of a $5,000 increase, but the governor has said the $3,000 is a down payment on that plan.

Last week, Kemp made the announcement of the new head of a Georgia Bureau of Investigation anti-gang task force and said a Criminal Street Gang Database is being developed. On the campaign trail, he called for a state-level task force to help local jurisdictions combat gang activity.

One campaign promise yet to be signed is the so-called “heartbeat bill” that would give Georgia the toughest abortion laws in the country (and will likely face immediate legal challenge) once it takes effect next January. In prepared remarks, Kemp made brief mention of the bill, commenting that the LIFE Act would “protect the innocent unborn and ensure that all Georgians are given an opportunity to grow and prosper in our state."

The governor is making several stops on his 100 days awareness trip, and will continue to sign bills until the May 12 deadline for him to take action. Anything not publicly signed or vetoed will automatically become law.