Speaking to thousands of business executives and local and state officials at the annual Eggs and Issues Breakfast sponsored by the Georgia Chamber, Gov. Brian Kemp made one thing clear Tuesday morning – tort reform will be his “top legislative priority” in 2025. Although he declined to give many details about his plans for tort reform, his remarks came after Lt. Gov. Burt Jones mentioned Georgia’s reputation as a “judicial hellhole.”
“Tort reform will be my top legislative priority for this upcoming session, and I look forward to sharing more about those plans in the coming weeks,” Kemp said. “But I need your help. Every local or regional chamber in this room has a critical role to play this session to make sure we finally get tort reform done. I’m asking you to engage earlier and harder than you ever have. Talk to your members, get them involved, and give them the tools necessary to be influential with their House and Senate delegation.”
While many had predicted that tort reform would take center stage at the Capitol last year, it was during his remarks last year at the same event that the Governor surprised most in the room when he announced that efforts for tort reform in 2024 would largely be delayed until 2025.
Kemp has spent the last year holding roundtable discussions around the state and lobbying lawmakers to lay the groundwork for the overhaul.
“In all of that good news there is one more thing that we must address, the need for a legal environment that is balanced with our neighbors,” Kemp said after touting many of the state’s accomplishments over the last year. “When I spoke to you all this time last year, I announced that my administration would work with the General Assembly to gather data that would prepare us to take on the issue of tort reform head on.
“Because this is not a partisan issue. No matter your party, your district, your zip code, or your background, this issue impacts us all,” said Kemp. “This is the year – so let’s get to work and get it done.”
Lt. Gov. Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns also touched on the issue of tort reform in their remarks at yesterday’s event in the Georgia World Congress Center.
“This year, alongside Gov. Kemp, we’ll continue to pursue measures that return balance to our courtrooms and stability to our insurance markets,” Burns said.
Jones drew applause when he announced his support for proposed reform.
Other than tort reform, Kemp also announced some of his top legislative and budgetary priorities for the 2025 legislative session to ensure Georgia remains the No. 1 state for business. He announced proposals to ensure Georgia is the Top State for Talent and new investments in key infrastructure projects statewide.
“When I last spoke before you, I challenged us all to consider both where we need to be generations from now and how we get there,” said Kemp. “And as we have done in the past, we worked together as partners on that very challenge – delivering historic investments, reforms, and initiatives that are not just worthy of our status as the No. 1 state for business but reflect our state’s values and priorities.
“As a result of that partnership approach, including with many others throughout Georgia, we’ve seen more than 193,000 new jobs created in communities across our state since 2019. And we’ve brought in over 90 billion dollars in private investments, with the majority going to our rural communities. We also have more people working than ever before in our state, and have jobs open for anyone looking for work or a new career.”
Kemp proposed using some of Georgia’s surplus to spend more than $1 billion on a massive road-building project and other improvements to the state’s water and sewer infrastructure.
