• US Department of Transportation Announces $1.25 Billion in Direct, Accessible Grants for Local Communities to Improve Roadway Safety
• Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Tells Business Group He Wants to Spend $1.8 Billion More on Infrastructure
• Georgia Department of Transportation: Georgia DOT Works With 8th Grade Students to Redesign the Big Blue Bridge in Camden County
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The Aquatech B-Series Combination Sewer Cleaner is ideal for any size municipality, water and sewer district, or contractor who is cleaning storm drains, catch basins and or sewers.
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Mr.
If you are like me, as we age, our memory gives us the opportunity to pause and dig back in our storehouse of useless information and search and ask that crucial question . . . “OK, tomorrow morning, is it garbage week, or is it compost/recycling week?”
Every week without fail, I have to use a simple memory trick, “OK, self, I get paid every two weeks, and on my payday, it’s compost/recycling.” Don’t know why that works, but it does. I think pay, then groceries, then food, then leftovers, (yum, leftover turkey sandwich), then crust of bread, then not garbage my kids would kill me, then it goes in the compost, then, oh, its compost week, simple!
However, it is much more than taking a container to the curb, leaving it there, and poof, it magically disappears. This service is planned, managed, and put into operation. Every aspect is continually reviewed for efficiency, community health, worker safety, and technology improvements. Just because we didn’t want or need something or we have benefited from its purpose and now must dispose of it, doesn’t mean it’s gone; someone else must manage that next phase of its cycle.
Our solid waste collectors are very often that front-facing service to our communities that will ironically get both great and terrible press. We may have witnessed or read about that great sanitation worker who went out of their way to make friends with a young kid enamored with the big garbage truck, or who noticed that elderly Mrs. Smith hadn’t taken the trash out that day and notified supervisors for a well-timed wellness check, or one who takes the time to neatly restack bins. In that same week, we hear about crashing
bins, backup alarms, and loss of sleep from 5 a.m. collection, or during work stoppages, great piles of smelly trash left curbside while employers and workers negotiate collective agreements.
The reality of it is, that one of the most challenging professions in the industry for public works professionals is managing solid waste. APWA looks to ensure we can provide resources for innovations, policies, safety, sustainability, and public health, dealing with new landfill diversion initiatives to illegal waste disposal harming public health. We want to ensure that solid waste professionals have the venue to discuss these issues in a collective way. To APWA, the ongoing evolution of solid waste management and our role in aiding our members has been one of our essential service areas.
In the United States, the modern concept of solid waste management first emerged in the 1890s. By the turn of the 20th century, many American cities provided at least a rudimentary level of solid waste collection and disposal,
but often with a horse and cart. Around 1930, virtually all cities offered garbage collection services, but collection technology had not significantly changed.
In the 1990s, communities began replacing manual trash collection with carts serviced by semi- and automated vehicles that improved efficiency and reduced injuries.
However, the health risks to solid waste professionals remain high. The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) reported an increase in worker fatalities in 2022 in the United States and Canada after a dramatic drop in 2021. For 2022, SWANA recorded 46 solid waste industry worker fatalities compared to 28 the year before. Sadly, about 35 percent of all solid waste workers killed last year worked in the public sector, whereas the average was around 21 percent over the past four years.
APWA recognizes that education is necessary to reduce injuries, and continued education is even more critical in keeping injury prevention and safety top
of mind during employees’ daily job tasks. Industry experts have stated, “Training and retraining are necessary to keep workers’ skills sharp and prevent complacency.”
When we go to PWX and walk the exhibit floor, we can see that the evolution of waste collection and disposal equipment has accelerated as the demands of the industry become more diversified. Now we see that new equipment such as automated side-load trucks or specialized matched bin loaders can significantly reduce ergonomic injuries such as back pain or repetitive motion disorders. This is a significant tool to lower injury lifting hazards for employees. Waste management technology can also help reduce the exposure of waste that may pose a direct threat to employees’ health. For example, it can lower the risks of employees being cut, pricked, or scraped by sharp objects or exposed to infectious materials.
The waste industry is further embracing technology to improve worker safety. This can mean embracing GIS and route optimization planning to make efficient use of limited equipment or workforce. In some cases, the use of artificial intelligence has the potential to bring about a revolution in municipal waste management by enhancing the effectiveness of waste collection, processing, and classification. Artificial intelligence-based technologies like intelligent garbage bins, classification robots, predictive models, and wireless detection enable the monitoring of waste bins, predict waste collection, and optimize the performance of waste processing facilities.
Beyond how waste is collected, what municipal workers collect is changing. Namely, plastics and technology are also playing a significant role. While plastic has many valuable uses, we consume single-use plastic products almost daily. Around the world, people purchase one million plastic bottles every minute, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used worldwide yearly. Half of all plastic produced is designed for single-use purposes—used just once and then thrown away. As public service employees, reducing what our communities dispose of is essential, as no city wants to be the site for the next landfill.
The plastic “end-of-life challenge” calls for new ways to recycle and reuse plastics
endlessly in a closed-loop system, so they never become waste. Innovation on that scale would convert the current “maketake-dispose” linear economy into a circular economy, where recycling plastic for eternity is possible.
The technology could also help solve the rise in hard-to recycle plastic waste and consumer botch-ups that lead to contaminated recycling streams. A new generation of trash-sorting robots with articulated arms and brainier vision systems is beginning to work alongside humans at recycling centers – aka materials recovery facilities, or MRFs.
The robots are improving at recovering recyclables from trash streams, which keeps the materials out of landfills. The robots improve the purity of the materials – they’re just squeezing more value out of the stream. On the software side, AI-driven optical technology can provide real-time data about waste stream contaminants—such as too much peanut butter left in a jar – and other metrics just being explored.
The technology used to collect and manage waste and the type of waste residents generate has changed significantly since the horse and carriage days. However, what has not changed is the commitment of solid waste professionals to deliver highquality services to our residents and businesses every week under extreme working conditions. The role APWA and our members play is important as
we all continue monitoring new waste management technologies that will help keep our crews safe and provide our residents with high-quality services.
Now let’s see, this week I don’t get paid, that’s just garbage! Oh! See what I did there? No pay is garbage week . . . easy peasy!
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In just eight short months, the International APWA Annual Conference, PWX, will be held in Atlanta from September 8-11, 2024.
Greetings APWA Members, I trust this message finds you well and thriving. I would like first to express my heartfelt appreciation for your unwavering support and dedication to the American Public Works Association, as well as your work in making our communities stronger, more resilient, and more vibrant.
I am Yvonne Douglas, your proud 2024 President of the APWA Georgia Chapter’s Metro Atlanta Branch. It is with great enthusiasm that I embrace this leadership role to represent and build upon the legacy of our Metro Atlanta Branch Members. I am excited about the prospects that lie ahead for 2024.
Allow me to share a bit about my journey with APWA. My involvement began in 2006, during my tenure at the City of Deerfield Beach (FL) Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. With over two decades of experience in both the public and private sectors, my focus has been on sustainable, resilient, and efficient asset management and O&M programming for public sector organizations.
I am honored to have served in various capacities within APWA, including roles at the Metro Atlanta Branch, Georgia Chapter, and National levels. After a brief hiatus, I rejoined our APWA Georgia Chapter and Metro Atlanta Branch Family in 2022.
As you may already know, 2024 is a significant year for the Georgia Chapter and the Metro Atlanta Branch. In just eight short months, the International APWA Annual Conference, PWX, will be held in Atlanta from September 8-11, 2024. The 2024 PWX Georgia Planning Committee is actively seeking sponsors, volunteers, and your valuable participation. If you have any inquiries about PWX, please feel free to reach out to me or any of the Metro Atlanta Branch Leadership.
I am also thrilled to introduce your 2024 Metro Atlanta Branch Board, a team of talented, diverse, and seasoned professionals:
• Vice President: Mark Rice, City of Marietta, Director of Public Works
• Secretary/Membership Chair: Kim Roemer, StreetScan, Senior Account Manager
• Treasurer: Nigel Wattley, City of Forest Park, Deputy Director of Public Works
• Past-President: Bradley Klinger, Fayette County Road Department, Assistant Director
Our Metro Atlanta Branch Programming for 2024 is designed with your needs in mind, especially considering the planning for the upcoming PWX Conference. New for 2024, we will hold in-person Lunch and Learn Programming quarterly (instead of monthly), with the first session scheduled for Thursday, March 21 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The topic will focus on Bridge Inspections and Capital Maintenance Programming. Look out for more details regarding the location and lunch coordination.
Under Bradley’s leadership, we will continue to host monthly virtual educational programming. The schedule for 2024 is being finalized. The Metro Atlanta Branch and the City of Marietta are excited to bring members insights into the APWA Public Works Accreditation process for the upcoming virtual educational event.
Your input matters! If there are specific educational topics you’d like to cover and/or if you have implemented successful programs/projects you wish to share with your public works peers, please reach out to Bradley via email at bklinger@fayettecountyga.gov
I would like to extend my personal gratitude to you, your staff, and your organization for your invaluable involvement and support of APWA. If you haven’t already, please consider becoming more engaged with the Metro Atlanta Branch and the APWA Georgia State Chapter. During PWX, public works departments, organizations, and professionals from around the world will be here in Georgia – specifically the ‘ATL’ and we need all hands on deck.
Feel free to reach out to me directly via email at ydouglas@atlbeltline.org if you have any questions.
Memberships are extended to both current or past public works employees as well as to private company employees who interact with the American Public Works Association.
Membership comes with the opportunity to share common goals, challenges, and solutions with Public Works professionals throughout North America.
As a member, you’ll participate in local Chapter and Branch programs meetings – often at reduced pricing; gain exposure to more than 30,000 Public Works professionals; save money on the best education and training programs in Public Works, covering all disciplines with ability to receive CEUs and PDHs; gain free subscriptions to many infoNOW electronic networking communities and resources, including the APWA Reporter Magazine; receive free access to the Resource Center and registrations for live Click, Listen & Learn programs; and pay reduced pricing for books, videos, construction, water resources and more.
As a member, you’ll save up to 42% on registration for PWX, the NORTH American Snow Conference and most nationally sponsored workshops and e-learning programs; earn your professional certification credentials; have networking opportunities at the national, local chapter and/or Branch level; and receive discounts on advertising opportunities in the APWA Reporter Magazine and exhibitor space at the annual PWX* (*Corporate Crown Level Group Memberships only ).
APWA is your primary resource for public works-related knowledge.
Become an Individual or Group Member of the APWA
Individual APWA membership automatically includes a one-year membership to your local APWA or CPWA Chapter. Individual Membership is available to:
• any official or employee (active, retired, or life) of a government agency, manufacturer, supplier, contractor, student, or consulting firm who is actively engaged in the field of Public Works.
Group Membership is available to:
• Student Groups,
• Public Agency Groups,
• One-Call Center/System Groups,
• Corporate Groups,
• Prestige Corporate, and
• Crown Corporate.
To learn more about APWA’s membership groups and how to become a member, visit www.apwa.net
Membership comes with the opportunity to share common goals, challenges, and solutions with Public Works professionals throughout North America.
During the APWA 2024 Equipment Show in Perry saw the return of the annual APWA Equipment Rodeo at this event. The Rodeo was organized by Andrew Bielecki (Sansom Equipment) with administration assistance provided by Becky Kinsey (GA811) and held inside the new expansion building. This year also saw the introduction of a new competition using a street sweeper.
19 total competitors from 12 Georgia local governments participated this year. Governments included: Athens Clarke County, City of Atlanta, City of Colquitt, City of Commerce, City of Dublin, City of Gainesville, Columbus Consolidated
Government, Coweta County, Dougherty County, Fayette County, Polk County, and Spalding County.
The Mini Excavator Event was sponsored by SANY and Jason Williams and Garry Slaton of Spalding County placed first and second. In third place was Rontaz Way from the City of Atlanta.
The Street Sweeper Event was sponsored by Hako and Joshua Strader of Fayette County placed first.
All the competitors will have the opportunity to compete during the upcoming PWX in Atlanta on September 9 to take the titles of best operator in the nation. Please come out and support your Georgia competitors during PWX.
Source: www.whitehouse.gov
President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda – a key pillar of Bidenomics – is delivering world-class infrastructure across the country, expanding access to economic opportunity, and creating good-paying jobs. By delivering $66 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago – President Biden is delivering on his vision to rebuild America and win the global competition for the 21st century.
The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing $8.2 billion in new funding for 10 major passenger rail projects across the country, including the first world-class high-speed rail projects in our country’s history. Key selected projects include: building a new high-speed rail system between California and Nevada, which will serve more than 11 million passengers annually; creating a high-speed rail
line through California’s Central Valley to ultimately link Los Angeles and San Francisco, supporting travel with speeds up to 220 mph; delivering significant upgrades to frequently-traveled rail corridors in Virginia, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia; and upgrading and expanding capacity at Chicago Union Station in Illinois, one of the nation’s busiest rail hubs. These historic projects will create tens of thousands of goodpaying, union jobs, unlock economic opportunity for communities across the country, and open up safe, comfortable, and climate-friendly travel options to get people to their destinations in a fraction of the time it takes to drive.
The Biden-Harris Administration is building out a pipeline of passenger rail projects in every region of the country in order to achieve the President's vision of world-class passenger rail. Announced projects will add new
passenger rail service to cities that have historically lacked access to America's rail network, connecting residents to jobs, healthcare, and educational opportunities. Investments will repair aging rail infrastructure to increase train speeds, reduce delays, benefit freight rail supply chains to boost America's economy, significantly reduce greenhouse emissions, and create good-paying union jobs. Additionally, electric highspeed rail trains will take millions of cars off the roads and reduce emissions, further cementing intercity rail as an environmentally friendly alternative to flying or driving and saving time for millions of Americans. These investments will also create tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs in construction and related industries – adding to over 100,000 jobs that the President is creating through historic investments in world-class rail.
The investment includes $8.2 billion through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program, as well as $34.5 million through the Corridor Identification and Development program to guide passenger rail development on 69 rail corridors across 44 states, ensuring that intercity rail projects are ready for implementation. President Biden will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to make this announcement.
To date, President Biden has announced $30 billion for rail projects across the country – including $16.4 billion on the Northeast Corridor, $1.4 billion for passenger rail and freight rail safety projects, and $570 million to upgrade or mitigate railroad crossings.
Fed-State National Project selections include:
• The Brightline West High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail System Project will receive up to $3 billion for a new 218-mile intercity passenger rail system
between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rancho Cucamonga, California. The project will create a new high-speed rail system, resulting in trip times of just over two hours – nearly twice as fast as driving. This route is expected to serve more than 11 million passengers annually, taking millions of cars off the road and, thanks to all-electric train sets, removing an estimated 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. This project will create 35,000 jobs supporting construction and support 1,000 permanent jobs in operations and maintenance once in service. Brightline’s agreement with the California State and Southern Nevada Building Trades will ensure that this project is built with good-paying union labor, and the project has reached a separate agreement with Rail Labor to employ union workers for its ongoing operations and maintenance. The project will also allow for connections to the Los Angeles Metro area via the Metrolink commuter rail system.
• The California Inaugural High-Speed Rail Service Project will receive up to $3.07 billion to help deliver high-speed rail service in California’s Central Valley by designing and extending the rail line between Bakersfield and Merced, procuring new high-speed trainsets, and constructing the Fresno station, which will connect communities to urban centers in Northern and Southern California. This 171-mile rail corridor will support high-speed travel with speeds up to 220mph. The project will improve connectivity and increase travel options, along with providing more frequent passenger rail service, from the Central Valley to urban centers in Northern and Southern California. New all-electric trainsets will produce zero emissions and be powered by 100% renewable energy. By separating passenger and freight lines, this project will benefit freight rail operations throughout California as well. This project has already created
over 11,000 good-paying union construction jobs and has committed to using union labor for operations and maintenance.
• The Raleigh to Richmond (R2R) Innovating Rail Program Phases IA and II project will receive up to $1.1 billion to build approximately additional parts of the Southeast Corridor from Raleigh to Wake Forest, North Carolina, including new and upgraded track eleven grade separations and closure of multiple at-grade crossings. The investment will improve system and service performance by developing a resilient and reliable passenger rail route that will also contribute to freight and supply chain resiliency in the Southeastern US. The proposed project is part of a multi-phased effort to develop a new passenger rail route between Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia, and better connect the southern states to DC and the Northeast Corridor. Once completed, this new route will save passengers an estimated 90 minutes per trip.
• The Long Bridge project, part of the Transforming Rail in Virginia – Phase II program, will receive $729 million to construct a new two-track rail bridge over the Potomac River to expand passenger rail capacity between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. Nearly 6 million passengers travel over the existing bridge every year on Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express lines. This upgrade will reduce congestion and delays on this heavily traveled corridor to our nation's capital. Other significant projects receiving grants under this announcement include upgrades to Chicago Union Station; upgrades to the Pennsylvania Keystone Corridor, extending the service west of Philadelphia-Harrisburg to Pittsburgh and adding frequencies; improving the Downeaster corridor in Maine, connecting Boston, Massachusetts, to Brunswick, Maine; rail infrastructure improvements in Montana along a route carrying Amtrak's Empire Builder longdistance rail service between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest; and replacing a key rail bridge in Alaska used by freight and intercity passenger trains.
As part of President Biden's vision for world-class passenger rail, the Administration is planning for future rail growth in new and unprecedented ways through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-created Corridor ID Program. The program establishes a new planning framework for future investments, and corridor selections announced stand to upgrade 15 existing rail routes, establish 47 extensions to existing and new conventional corridor routes, and advance seven new high-speed rail projects, creating a pipeline of intercity passenger rail projects ready for future investment. Project selections include:
• Scranton to New York, reviving a dormant rail corridor between Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, to provide up to three daily trips for commuters and other passengers;
• Colorado Front Range, a new rail corridor connecting Fort Collins, CO, and Pueblo, CO, to serve an area that currently has no passenger rail options;
• The Northern Lights Express, connecting Minneapolis, MN, and Duluth, MN, with several stops in Wisconsin, for greater regional connectivity;
• Cascadia High-Speed Rail, a proposed new high-speed rail corridor linking Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver, with entirely new service;
• Charlotte to Atlanta, a new high-speed rail corridor linking the Southeast and providing connection to HartsfieldJackson Airport, the busiest airport in the world;
Major regional hubs will benefit from multiple corridor selections, such as the Chicago Hub, where a comprehensive plan for the Chicago terminal and service chokepoints south of Lake Michigan will benefit all corridors and long-distance trains south and east of Chicago.
After waiting years for new federal funding, major rail and transit projects across
the country are moving forward. The announcement builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic commitment to our nation’s rail network. Major rail progress that has already been made under President Biden includes the following:
• Last month, FRA announced $16.4 billion for 25 passenger rail projects along the Northeast Corridor (NEC), the nation's busiest rail corridor, running between Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. The Northeast Corridor supports 800,000 trips per day in a region that represents 20% of the US Gross Domestic Product. The trains carry five times more passengers than all flights between Washington and New York. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program, projects will rebuild tunnels and bridges that are over 100 years old; upgrade tracks, power systems, signals, stations, and other infrastructure; and advance future projects to significantly improve travel times by increasing operating speeds and reducing delays. These investments will also contribute to more than 100,000 good-paying union jobs in construction. You can read more about the 25 Fed-State NEC project selections and their benefits at railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/fy22-23-FSPNEC-fact-sheets
In addition to unprecedented passenger rail investment, the BidenHarris Administration is making major investments in rail safety through track improvements, bridge rehabilitations, fewer grade crossings, upgrades on routes carrying hazardous materials, and enhanced multi-modal connections to increase safety for people who live near or travel along America’s rail lines:
• In September, FRA announced more than $1.4 billion from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for 70 projects in 35 states and Washington, D.C. This is the largest amount ever awarded for rail safety and rail supply chain upgrades through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements — or CRISI — program.
CRISI projects will improve nearly 1,900 miles of track, upgrade or replace aging bridges, invest in locomotives with fewer emissions, and fund sustainable and resilient infrastructure that protects against threats of extreme weather. Overall, nearly two-thirds of CRISI funding announced this year is going to rural communities. While the majority of selected projects support freight rail safety and supply chains, CRISI investments are also laying the groundwork to expand world-class passenger rail to more communities nationwide in places like Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi as well as Virginia, Massachusetts, and California. Additionally, the CRISI program provides funding to develop the US rail workforce and industry. Funding for this popular program has quadrupled since President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
• In June 2023, FRA announced $570 million for 63 projects in 32 states under the new Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, created by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This inaugural round of funding will address more than 400 at-grade crossings nationwide, improve safety, and make it easier to get around railroad tracks by adding grade separations, closing at-grade crossings, and improving existing at-grade crossings where train tracks and roads intersect. Over each of the next four years, additional program funding will be made available annually.
• In November 2022, FRA granted $4.3 billion to Amtrak, which represents the first year of the $22 billion in direct funding to Amtrak provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Amtrak is using these funds to modernize the intercity passenger rail network, modernize and increase accessibility at
more than 280 Amtrak-served stations across the country, and replace Amtrak’s existing fleet with over 1,000 accessible, comfortable, state-of-the-art railcars and locomotives. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Amtrak has invested nearly $3 billion in 750 projects across the country, including bringing 15 Amtrak stations to full ADA compliance. Through these investments, Amtrak has created nearly 5,000 jobs, including employing over 4,000 union workers.
• In August 2022, the FRA announced $233 million in grants to upgrade intercity passenger rail service across the country through the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program. These investments will help replace bridges and tunnels along the Northeast Corridor, many of which are over 100 years old. Grants were also awarded to improve rail infrastructure in California, Michigan, and Chicago Union Station.
for All (SS4A), which was created in President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help communities both plan and carry out projects that help reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our highways, streets, and roads. The SS4A grant program is a major action that supports funding to advance the DOT's National Roadway Safety Strategy, which was launched in 2022 to address the high number of traffic deaths happening across the country.
SS4A funds will help communities in the development of road safety action plans and improve unsafe roadway corridors by implementing effective interventions. Additionally, these funds can be utilized to test out safety features such as separated bicycle lanes or curb extensions at intersections.
“Every community knows some intersection or stretch of road that is dangerous to approach – now we have an opportunity to make them safer,” told US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Biden-Harris administration is proud to make over $1.2 billion available for projects that can save lives on our roads, from highway redesigns to protected bike lanes, and we invite communities of every size to apply.”
Last year, DOT announced more than 1,000 communities in total received $1.7 billion in grants under SS4A, impacting
the cities and counties that meet that threshold online and will continue to support the information needs of these localities throughout the application period.
The application process for SS4A is designed to be as easy as possible and increase accessibility to this program in this latest funding round, particularly for smaller communities, Tribal governments, and recipients new to Federal funding. This includes multiple deadlines and a longer application period for planning proposals, a pre-application review opportunity to determine eligibility before applying for implementation funding, and clarification about the use of Tribal Transportation Program funds as eligible for local match.
Applications may come from individual communities or groups of communities and may include MPOs, counties, cities, towns, other special districts that are subdivisions of a state, certain transit agencies, federally recognized Tribal governments, and multijurisdictional groups of eligible applicants.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All Notice of Funding Opportunity can be found at www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A Applications for Implementation Grants are by May 16. Planning and demonstration grant applicants will have three opportunities to apply with the deadlines of April 4, May 16, and August 29.
TLANTA (AP) — Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said Wednesday he’ll propose $1.8 billion in added spending on infrastructure, as well as expand healthcare training for dentists and physicians, showing how the state’s $11 billion in surplus cash is giving the Republican clout to spend big even as state revenues slow.
Kemp also told the Georgia Chamber of Commerce at a meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta that he’ll need more than a year to follow through on a pledge to limit lawsuits. He also wants to make it
harder for workers to unionize at the big developments Georgia is subsidizing.
“If we want to maintain this incredible position we’re in today for another generation, we need to make smart moves right now to secure that future,” Kemp said, arguing his plans would keep Georgia’s economy humming.
Wednesday’s speech by the secondterm incumbent was a meaty preview of Thursday’s looming State of the State address. Kemp promised more to come in the address, including a likely proposal to raise pay for public employees and teachers.
Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington, also speaking Wednesday, voiced openness to expanding health care coverage to low-income adults through Georgia’s Medicaid program.
“Expanding access to care for lowerincome working families through a private option in a fiscally responsible way that lowers premiums is something we will continue to gather facts on in the House,” Burns said.
Kemp says he wants to allot $1.5 billion to the Georgia Department of Transportation before June 30 to speed planned roadwork and establish a freight infrastructure program. Of that money, $200 million would go to cities and counties, increasing what the state sends local governments to maintain their own roads and bridges.
Kemp said he also wants to invest another $250 million in the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, which loans money to local governments for water and sewer projects. Kemp previously gave out $442 million in water and sewer grants using federal COVID-19 aid.
The governor wants to allot another $50 million to a fund to develop land
for housing, and then spend at least $6 million annually on such grants going forward. Lawmakers earlier allotted $35.7 million for Kemp’s ‘rural workforce housing’ plan, and $17 million has been spent so far.
Kemp proposed spending $178 million to create a new public dental school at Georgia Southern University in Savannah, in addition to the current Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University. Kemp also proposed $50 million to create a separate medical school at the University of Georgia in Athens. Now, a four-year medical program operates there in partnership with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
“With these new assets on the way, we will further address the growing need for health care professionals in our state,” Kemp said.
Like he did before the chamber in Athens this Summer, Kemp argued lawsuits are driving up insurance premiums and hampering business.
“I will be introducing legislation this year that reflects my priorities to stabilize the market for insurers, stabilize premiums for Georgia families, and level the playing field in our courtrooms so we can continue to create even more quality, good-paying jobs,” he said.
But Kemp now says the effort will take more than one legislative session, promising to take “the first step” this year.
Georgia Chamber President and CEO Chris Clark said after the speech that limiting lawsuits has “always been a difficult issue” to make progress on. He said this year’s steps would include a study to determine “the true impact of these nuclear verdicts” on insurance rates.
Kemp also promised to make it harder for workers to form unions to bargain with employers in Georgia, echoing the chamber’s own agenda. Kemp seeks to bar any business that benefits from state business incentives from allowing employees to unionize without a formal election. Now, businesses can accept unions without an election.
Only 4.4% of Georgia workers are union members, the eighth-lowest rate among states. Unions did win a notable victory in May when workers at Georgia
school bus maker Blue Bird Corp. voted to be represented by the United Steelworkers.
Kemp portrayed the move as protecting workers’ “right to opportunity” from President Joe Biden’s pro-union agenda and outside forces “who want nothing more than to see the free market brought to a screeching halt.”
Burns said he wants to further cut taxes by increasing the deduction for a child on state
income taxes from $3,000 to $4,000, which would save a typical family about $45. He also is seeking a slight cut in property taxes.
Burns also said he wants to boost the number of state troopers from 700 to 1,000 and expand state-paid prekindergarten classes.
Jeff Amy covers Georgia politics and government for the Associate Press.
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Recently, Georgia DOT worked with students at Saint Mary’s Middle School in Camden County on an 8th grade project to redesign the St. Mary’s River Bridge also known as the Big Blue Bridge on U.S. 17. Throughout the year, the department will also be working with teachers to create materials to support classroom learning and act as advisors on projects.
This is the first partnership between Georgia DOT and the Georgia Department of Education. It is designed to introduce students in the K-12 setting to the possibilities that exist in STEM education and the field of transportation. Towards that end, several Georgia DOT employees also visited Saint Mary’s Middle School to host a Transportation Day. More than 340 students were introduced to possible careers in transportation and considered careers they had never previously thought about.
The ultimate goal is to increase interest in transportation by showcasing projects that inspire students to pursue careers in civil engineering and hopefully with Georgia DOT.
Since
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Classes and Experts Include:
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Created by Michael Simpson in partnership with the City of LA and Public Works, the Public Works HBCU Student Engineers Internship exists to close the gap of Black engineers in the workforce.
“This program will create new professional Black engineers that will do well and be promoted to higher positions since they have been exposed to fiscal project, team management knowledge and skill development,” shared Michael Simpson, retired P.E. Division Manager for LASAN-IWMD.
In its third year of running, the paid virtual program is working to accept 20 students, engage them in work and activities that will prepare them for the engineering profession and create opportunities for select students to grow their network through APWA’s conference.
For more information, please reach out to thomas.wyatt@lacity.org
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