Legislative Highlights

October 2023

Hello Shaw,

Over the past few years, Georgians are experiencing the negative impact of record-high inflation and skyrocketing costs nearly everywhere they turn. From groceries to gas to goods and services, families are paying on average more than $700 a month for the same items as they did two years ago. At the same time, most folks' paychecks aren't keeping up with the cost of living.

With that in mind, legislators have worked on several fronts to keep more of your hard-earned dollars in your pocket and our economy strong. Next legislative session, working alongside Gov. Kemp and the General Assembly, we'll continue our efforts to make Georgia a more affordable place to live and our tax burden low.

Our efforts aren't just limited to income tax cuts, which you'll learn more about below. The also include more than $4.5 billion returned to Georgians in the past two years, encompassing:

Continued gas tax exemptions, totalling more than $1.5 billion to date
Nearly $1 billion in property tax relief
More than $2 billion in one-time tax rebates
Historic rainy day fund reserves, which protect our state from economic downturns and help maintain our critically-important AAA bond rating
Fully funding k-12 education for all public schools statewide
Restoring HOPE scholarship to 100 percent

Historic Savings, Fiscal Responsiblity

BACKGROUND:

In 2017, Georgia lawmakers passed major tax reform, cutting the income tax rate for the first time in history from 6 percent to 5.75 percent. This returned more than half a billion dollars back to taxpayers in 2018.

Last year, the General Assembly once enacted historic tax cuts and reforms with the “Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2022,” returning at least $1 billion back to hard-working Georgians beginning in 2024.

This is a bold and comprehensive plan that will make our state even more competitive and benefit ALL GEORGIANS. As Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, I'm proud of the hard work our dedicated team of legislators and staff put forth in authoring this bill.

TAXPAYER SAVINGS:

These cuts are another major step forward in reducing income taxes and continuing the work begun in 2017. It goes further than the final step envisioned in 2018, cutting to 4.99% (instead of 5.49%) and eliminating the other brackets (from 5 to 1).

The new law is flatter, fairer and simpler and includes tax savings across all income levels. It eliminates the marriage penalty, maintains the $3,000 child tax credit, eliminates the standard deductions for married and single filers and increases the personal exemptions for both. When it takes full effect, Georgia taxpayers should expect to see the $1 billion return grow into $2.5 billion over a few short years.

Learn more about the major provisions and other details here.

Around the District

We had an insightful time last week attending the 2nd Annual Middle Georgia National Security Forum. Thank you to Museum of Aviation Robins AFB, Warner Robins, GA for hosting.

The keynote speaker Dr. Will Roper, alongside a diverse panel of security experts, highlighted the importance of 'digitinity' in shaping the future of technology and its impact not only on military systems but also across industries.

As always, I'm grateful for our military's service and proud to attend events like this one.

This month, we visited Mercer University alongside my legislative colleagues to delve into the impactful work of the Georgia Research Alliance.

The collaboration among eight leading institutions,including Mercer, promises shared access to state-of-the-art research facilities, fostering groundbreaking research opportunities and advancing biomedical innovation.

I commend their efforts to unite our universities and enhance healthcare outcomes for all Georgians.

Lastly, my family and I enjoyed a great time at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, as we do each year. I hope each of y'all have had the chance to do the sam

Please be on the lookout for monthly updates for the remainder of the year as there is much to cover where our government is concerned. In the meantime, if you need anything at all, please let us know.

Thank you for the honor of allowing us to serve as your voice under the Gold Dome, as we work towards simple, smart and effective government. May God bless you and may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia.

Respectfully yours,

Rep. Shaw Blackmon

House District 146

Representative Shaw Blackmon

District 146

Email: Shaw.Blackmon@house.ga.gov

Phone: 404-463-7583

Address: 133 State Capitol

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

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