Six months after he ordered state agencies to cut spending by 4 percent, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the state’s amended midyear budget Tuesday.
The Georgia Senate and House on Thursday passed the $27.4 budget, which includes $100 million to combat the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak and $60 million in cuts.
“Over several months, I have worked closely with lawmakers to develop an amended fiscal year 2020 budget that reflects our priorities, reduces red tape in government, prioritizes public safety, and puts Georgia families first,” Kemp said in a statement.
Every legislative session, two budgets are passed through the Georgia General Assembly. Lawmakers must review and approve spending for the remainder of the current fiscal year, also known as the amended fiscal year (AFY) budget, and approve the budget for the following fiscal year, which begins July 1.
In August, Kemp ordered state agencies to cut spending by 4 percent in fiscal 2020 and by another 6 percent in fiscal 2021 to streamline funds for teacher pay, small business initiatives and rural economic growth, among other his priorities.
The midyear budget was balanced with $255 million from K-12 education reserves.
State budget writers made the final adjustments to the midyear budget last week before the legislative session was put on hold to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Left on the Senate’s table for review is the $28 billion budget for fiscal 2021.
