Lawmakers Brief: General Assembly Passes Amended 2021 State Budget

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Georgia House Speaker David Ralston speaks during a press conference on the amended fiscal year 2021 state budget in February 2021.

Credit: Screenshot from video

The Georgia General Assembly’s quick work of the amended fiscal year 2021 state budget finished up Thursday with the House and Senate passing the final version. 

House Bill 80 funds Georgia state government through June 30 by amending the current budget which was passed last year. 

It passed the House 165-4. It passed the Senate 50-0. 

One of the biggest changes to the budget was made this week with announcement of a one-time $1,000 bonus for state employees who make less than $80,000 a year. That covers about 57,000 state employees. That was announced Wednesday by Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, House Speaker David Ralston, Senate Appropriations Chairman Blake Tillery and House Appropriations Chairman Terry England. 

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Pictured is page one of the amended FY 2021 state budget.

The State of Georgia has the money for these bonuses because of additional federal funding going to other parts of the state budget, freeing up those state dollars. 

The key group not receiving the bonus are employees of the University System of Georgia because of constitutional reasons. On the Senate floor Thursday, Tillery told senators he believes the Board of Regents intends to follow their lead on the one-time bonuses. 

Kemp had already included a similar bonus for teachers and school staffers in his recommended budget. 

The budget now goes to Kemp’s desk for his signature. 

Read the 121-page amended FY 2021 budget here: http://bit.ly/3qdEXem 

Read the tracking sheet that shows the differences between the governor’s recommended budget and budgets by the House and Senate: http://bit.ly/3adgsIK