Kemp Delivers State of the State Address, Calls For Bi-Partisan Support For Tort Reform.

Governor Brian Kemp delivered his 7th State of the State Address today to a Joint Session of the Legislature. As promised, Kemp intends to make a major push for tort reform this year.

When we talk about how to continue Georgia’s success as the top state for business for the next 11 years, and how to keep our state’s best and brightest days ahead, it starts here. Stories like Waffle House, stories like those small-town grocers and childcare facilities, the mom and pop restaurants that make our local communities special, the healthcare providers who are there for us when we need it the most; without them, our state is not the same, and Georgia will never realize its full potential. 

The tort reform legislation my office will introduce in the coming days will be comprehensive – but fair. Because in Georgia, we believe those who do wrong should be held accountable. And if you have been wronged, you deserve justice! 

I also believe the legislation we will be introducing can – and should – have bipartisan support. Making sure your neighborhood has a grocery store with fresh food available to a young single mom, or an elderly couple on a fixed income isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. Recruiting an OBGYN or a GI doctor to your hometown doesn’t depend on what lever you pull in the voting booth. Stabilizing the cost of car insurance and ensuring families have access to affordable housing is not partisan – it’s common sense.  And giving working people and small business owners a chance at the American Dream is about who we are as a state – not what political party we support. 

It won’t be easy. While the business community is fully behind this effort, the legal community will not be. And of course, the Georgia Supreme Court tossed out a tort reform law some years ago.

Full speech here (starting at about the 1 hour 10 minute mark):