Georgia’s future is at stake. We can’t afford to stand by.
This session, the Georgia General Assembly decides on the most important piece of legislation for the next two years: the budget. Brian Kemp’s extreme budget proposes $300 million in reckless budget cuts - from schools to hospitals to the economy, the basic public services Georgians care about and depend on are on the line. Below are some of the key services at risk - and how you can fight back.
Slashing Healthcare Funding
Public Health
$15 million slashed over two years from county public health departments, which are the front line of care in areas where medical providers are scarce.
As a result of cuts to programs that bring doctors to rural parts of the state, it will be even harder to recruit doctors to work in rural Georgia and serve rural Georgians.
The budget includes more than $4.3 million in cuts to the Department of Community Health programs, including funding for the Rural Health Systems Innovation Center, Morehouse and Mercer medical schools, and the Georgia Drug and Narcotics Agency.
Mental Health
$35 million in cuts to Georgia’s mental health services means fewer beds will be available for Georgians in crisis, leading to increased “suicidality, substance abuse disorders and demands on our crisis services that we cannot meet.”
Of these, over $26 million in spending reductions directly harm child and adolescent mental health services, putting children at risk and gutting the services they need.
Medicaid Waivers
Hundreds of thousands of Georgians go without health insurance in our state – but instead of fully expanding Medicaid, Kemp’s plan “falls far short,” covering far fewer Georgians for more taxpayer money. Studies show that Kemp’s proposal could cost over $200 million more than what’s estimated in the waiver’s own budget – leaving Georgians with an expensive bill, but less coverage.
Helpful Links:
- Overview of Georgia’s 2021 Fiscal Year Budget | Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
- Proposed budget cuts could mean fewer services from state health agencies | WABE
- Proposed cuts to state mental health budget called ‘life-robbing’ | AJC
- Kemp’s budget spurs many questions about its impact on rural Georgia | AJC
Reversing Criminal Justice Reforms
Criminal Justice Reforms
Kemp’s budget slashes millions from Nathan Deal’s bipartisan accountability courts, which saved taxpayer money and helped nonviolent offenders avoid prison time if they sought treatment and got a job.
$3.5 million is being cut from Georgia public defenders – and the director admitted that with these cuts, she can’t guarantee that people who are accused and need the services of the public defender’s office can get them.
Juvenile Justice
Kemp’s budget cuts more than $30 million over two years from juvenile justice programs, eliminating dozens of roles that help kids successfully return to their communities after release, including educators, therapists, probation supervision and job training.
The budget cuts funding from the Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant program, which helps support evidence-based programs that serve as alternatives to juvenile lockups.
Public Safety
Nearly $13 million over two years is cut from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, making it harder to identify and process evidence and share information across the state.
Georgia’s rape kit testing labs are backlogged with thousands of cases still unexamined – but the budget eliminates three scientist positions and two lab technicians from the program, making it less and less likely to pursue justice for all rape survivors.
Helpful Links
- Overview of Georgia’s 2021 Fiscal Year Budget | Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
- Kemp pursues a new criminal justice policy, unnerving critics | AJC
- State budget cuts threaten support for juvenile detainee transition | Georgia Recorder
- Here’s how budget cuts could make it harder to catch rapists in Georgia | WSB-TV
Gutting Investment in Children’s Future
Education
$12.5 million in cuts to the Georgia Department of Education threaten K-12 career and technical education programs, cut services for students with emotional or behavioral disorders, and defund programs to help struggling schools.
Over $2 million was cut from state schools for the deaf and blind, limiting services for those students, even when they can’t get help locally.
Childcare & Welfare Cuts
$16 million in cuts over two years to child welfare and foster care services, threatening the safety of children in need and leaves vacant hundreds of child welfare jobs.
$743,000 cut from childcare services, making it harder for working families to get quality care for their children.
Helpful Links
- Overview of Georgia’s 2021 Fiscal Year Budget | Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
- State lawmakers question impact of proposed school cuts | Georgia Recorder
- Georgia agency would not fill vacant child safety, benefit eligibility positions | AJC
Threatening Georgia’s Natural Resources
Environment
$1.8 million cut from environmental protection programs, limiting our ability to keep Georgia’s air clean and water unpolluted.
$1.4 million cut from Forest Protection, threatening our response and suppression of forest fires across the state while slashing support for rural fire departments.
Agriculture
Kemp’s budget cuts $7.6 million from agricultural experiment stations and the Cooperative Extension Service, which are critical programs to serve farmers through natural disasters, climate change, and trade wars.
28 positions cut from the Department of Agriculture, including food safety and meat safety inspectors, meaning both public health and Georgia’s biggest industry is at risk.
Helpful Links
- Overview of Georgia’s 2021 Fiscal Year Budget | Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
- Kemp’s budget spurs many questions about its impact on rural Georgia | AJC
- Georgia agriculture chief warns budget cuts will mean fewer food safety inspections | Marietta Daily Journal