ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp delivered a not-so-veiled threat to members of the General Assembly Thursday: Pass significant tort reform during the 2025 legislative session – or else.

“There is always room for compromise, but there will be no room for excuses, half-measures, or failure,” Kemp said during his annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Georgia House and Senate. “Whether it’s this legislative session, or perhaps a second one later this year, we will achieve meaningful, impactful tort reform.”

After punting on tort reform for years, lawmakers passed a bill last year directing the state insurance department to gather data on legal trends affecting insurance premiums and identify reforms that could stabilize costs.

During the months after the 2024 legislative session, Kemp hosted three roundtables across the state to hear from business owners saddled with soaring insurance premiums that threatened their ability to keep their doors open.

“Even though each person at those roundtables came from a different part of our state, represented a different industry or business, told a unique story or had a different perspective, the call for action was unanimous,” he said. “It’s abundantly clear that the status quo isn’t working.”

Legislative Democrats have blocked tort reform for decades amid concerns it could deprive Georgians injured in a car crash or by medical malpractice of their day in court.

On Thursday, Kemp asked Democrats to support tort reform this year and promised a balanced approach to the issue. He cited examples from the recent past where lawmakers from both parties worked together to enact important laws.

“Passing hate-crimes legislation, repealing the citizens arrest statute, and supporting the victims of human trafficking are all tough issues,” he said. “But Republicans and Democrats accomplished them together because it was right thing to do.”

In a 35-minute speech, Kemp also vowed to push legislation reducing the state income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19%, a move he said would save Georgia taxpayers $7.5 billion during the next 10 years.

The longest sustained applause during the governor’s address came when he recognized sitting in the gallery Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith and two school resource officers – Sgt. Chase Boyd and Deputy Brandon King – who quickly arrested the teenage gunman charged with shooting to death two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School last September.

Kemp said his spending proposals for this year will include an additional $159 million for school-safety grants on top of the $294 million the state allocated for that program in 2019 and 2023.

And the governor defended his limited expansion of Georgia’s Medicaid program against Democrats advocating a full Medicaid expansion as 39 states have done.

“We’re covering well over 200,000 more Georgians than traditional Medicaid expansion would cover,” Kemp said. “And those Georgians are on better plans that deliver better coverage, and lead to better health-care outcomes for them and their families.”

After Kemp’s address, Democrats pointed to Georgia’s dubious status as the state with the nation’s third highest rate of uninsured. While the Georgia-specific health-insurance exchange Kemp launched in November is showing early signs of success, the governor’s Georgia Pathways limited Medicaid expansion has only enrolled 8,385 Georgians since its launch in the summer of 2023.

“Georgia Democrats in the state legislature have outlined plans to … fully expand Medicaid to bring health coverage to nearly half a million Georgians,” according to a news release from the Democratic Party of Georgia.

In a sideshow to the main event, ultra-conservative state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, was arrested for trying to enter the House chambers for the State of the State address. House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, banned Moore from the House floor last year after the senator made derogatory remarks about the late Speaker David Ralston.

During his speech, Kemp also thanked the first-responders and community volunteers who stepped up during and after Hurricane Helene ravaged a large swath of the state in late September.

“We saw neighbors helping neighbors, lending a hand or a chainsaw, even when their own homes and farms were in need of attention,” he said. “We saw brand-new church outreach programs feeding whole towns, and we saw first responders who put the lives of others ahead of their own.”