Gov. Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, along with a who’s who of other state officials, hosted small business leaders for a discussion on civil litigation and its impact on business and costs. This is first of three roundtable discussions planned by Kemp leading up to next year’s legislative session.
“A little over a year ago, I announced my intention to work toward common-sense lawsuit reform while still bringing jobs to Georgia and maintaining our position as the No. 1 state for business,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “We took the first meaningful steps on that issue this past session through the Data Analysis for Tort Reform Act. As we move forward, I want to thank the legislature and those from around the state who have been engaged on this issue as we work together to address this growing problem.”
In 2019 – what seems to be the most recent survey by the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform, Georgia had slipped all the way to 41st in the nation. It was Georgia’s lowest ranking since the survey began in 2002. The survey questioned senior business executives about the “fairness and reasonableness of state court systems.” Georgia has done quite a bit of work since then on improving the situation and has likely moved up quite a bit in business executive’s views but a ranking of bottom 10 means a lot of work to do.
“I want to thank Governor Kemp for bringing this group together,” said Jones. “I have always supported measures to get Georgia’s business community the relief it needs. We made legitimate strides last session to level the playing field when a case reaches the courtroom. I look forward to working with Governor Kemp, Speaker Burns, and other stakeholders to pass sensible lawsuit reform that will benefit our growing business community and strengthen Georgia’s business friendly climate.”
Participants in the discussion noted the civil litigation climate’s impact on insurance rates and its availability for small business and rural communities. Combined with inflation, those price increases are doubly bad.
“I am thankful for Governor Kemp, Lt. Governor Jones, Speaker Burns, Commissioner King and members of the General Assembly for their commitment to addressing the need for legal reform in our state,” said Alexis Kinsey of the Georgia Restaurant Association. “Our restaurants, like many others, are truly family owned and operated; and the prevalence of frivolous lawsuits in the state jeopardizes our ability to grow, provide jobs, and serve communities. This conversation is a great step toward addressing this much needed reform and continuing to make our state a great place to do business.”
