Gov. Kemp Reflects on Year One

Governor Brian Kemp authored an op-ed in the Augusta Chronicle on the successes of his first year in office and goals for the future. Below:

It is a great time to be a Georgian, and I really mean that. Georgia was recently named the top state for business for an unprecedented seventh straight year. The unemployment rate – 3.3% – is the lowest in state history, and the number of jobs in our state has never been higher.

Our ports are firing on all cylinders and breaking records, while we continue to celebrate ribbon-cuttings and business expansions across our state in a variety of industry sectors. From Invesco creating 500 jobs in Atlanta, to Nivel Parts and Manufacturing announcing an expansion of 50 jobs in Cairo, Ga., is a great place to start or expand a business. Going forward, the newly created Rural Strike Team will work out of the Governor’s Office to identify and attract economic development projects that can positively impact entire regions of our state.

The piece begins with public safety initiatives including the anti-gang task force and sex trafficking before romping through the state’s rosy economic outlook. The governor extols last year’s accomplishments, such as the Patient First Act and a reduction in school testing. It concludes with the Kemp Agenda in the days to come:

During the upcoming legislative session, we will continue to value life by championing reforms to our state’s foster care and adoption laws. We will invest in education, strengthen our anti-gang and human trafficking laws, and spur economic growth by eliminating red tape for job creators. We will continue to budget conservatively, save for a rainy day, and be good stewards of taxpayer funds.

Above all, we will continue to put hardworking Georgians first in 2020. We will stand with our farmers, support our veterans, defend our conservative values, and always protect the most vulnerable among us.

Read the whole thing here.