The $40.5 billion mid-year state budget passed the House late last week – sailing through by a 166-3 vote – and is now headed to the Senate. The AFY25 budget contains additional funding for school safety, as well as additional funds for victims of Hurricane Helene. As Senators review the amended mid-year budget this week, House members will start looking at the FY26 Budget proposal from Gov. Brian Kemp.
The House added $197 million to the $615 million Kemp had initially requested in relief for residents, business owners, farmers, and timber producers who suffered losses last September as a result of Helene. State reps also supported the Governor’s request for an additional $50 million for school-security grants, with each school in Georgia getting more than $68,000 to spend as local school district officials see fit.
The most notable education-related addition to Kemp’s initial budget proposal – as added by the House — is $3 million in startup funding for a school threat assessment tracking system. This addition aligns with HB 268, the House’s marquee school safety legislation.
Other education highlights and additions in the AFY25 budget include:
● $114 million increase to Quality Basic Education (QBE) for student enrollment growth
● $7.4 million in additional funds to move Pre-K lead teachers to the K-12 state salary schedule
● $160,000 directed to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to provide mental health support to students who have experienced a significant public safety event or natural disaster
The amended mid-year budget also focuses on public safety – adding funding for the hiring of more than 400 correctional officers to staff the state prison system. It also includes an increase in funding for body cameras and tasers to help those correctional officers maintain order.
AFY25 also includes $501.7 million to increase surface water supplies in Coastal Georgia to help supply the Hyundai Metaplant which is currently under construction in Bryan County near Savannah. Officials said a new water intake on the Savannah River is expected to produce 20 million gallons a day by 2030.
If approved, the AFY25 budget gives $500 million to The Georgia Department of Transportation or improvements along the state’s interstate corridors.
Overall, the mid-year budget would increase state spending by $4.4 billion above the fiscal 2025 budget the General Assembly passed last spring.
