ATLANTA — Months after Georgia legislators faced brutal budget cuts amid a worsening pandemic, lawmakers got a first look Monday at a new $2.72 billion budget picture this session: no new cuts but an uncertain future.

Georgia’s economy has fared better than most states despite harsh criticism of Gov. Brian Kemp for shuttering businesses later than most and reopening them sooner than most. Still, the virus continues to spread at alarming levels in Georgia and nationwide and health officials are struggling to roll out the vaccines.

Kemp made welcome news during his State of the State address last week that agencies won’t face additional cuts after losing $2.2 billion in total last summer. He announced his amended Fiscal Year 2021 and FY22 budget proposals will add back more than a million cut in education funding during the next 18 months.

His Monday presentation to appropriations leaders brought more good news: after lawmakers expected to dip substantially into the rainy day fund — anticipating a $1 billion budget shortfall — the state will be able to return all used funds to the reserve and remove any reliance on additional funds for the upcoming fiscal year. Some due in part to federal assistance received during the pandemic.

“While last year’s interrupted legislative session may not have gone like we had expected,” Kemp said. “I’m really appreciative of the close working relationship that we built over these difficult months as we worked to properly guide our state through some very difficult waters.”

The Republican governor has proposed a significant investment in rural initiatives — including a boost for rural broadband grants — and millions for the Department of Transportation to invest in roadway and freight infrastructure.

But the governor’s requests must go through both House and Senate budget writers who have their own agendas. Jeffrey Dorfman, state economist, said that federal stimulus money has helped consumer spending stay strong in Georgia but cautioned lawmakers – the state’s labor force is not growing near the rate it has in decades past, which doesn’t guarantee increased revenues from population growth.

Dorfman, also a University of Georgia economist, said the state’s labor market is on the mend but will not be able to fully rebound once the pandemic is over.

“Really, our labor market is about as fully recovered as it can be until the pandemic is over,” he said.

On top of the uncertain financial future, state agencies have battled the virus with less money in their pockets. But Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey did not mention specific costs incurred that the agency desperately wants state lawmakers to cover — a majority of public health funding comes from the federal government.

In Kemp’s proposal, department funding is largely the same budget that lawmakers agreed upon last session. Toomey spent a majority of her presentation addressing issues with the vaccine rollout. State officials often do not know how many vaccine dose Georgia will be allocated each week.

“We have no control over those allocations — I know that that is really confusing, because we need additional vaccine; there’s no question about it,” she told lawmakers. “At this point in time, we often don’t know from week to week exactly how much vaccine will be available or when it will be coming. With a change in administration mid-week, we’re anticipating that there may be there may be additional vaccine made available in the coming days and weeks. We hope so and we look forward to that.”

Toomey said it will take the state “many, many months” to vaccinate all Georgians at the pace the state is receiving doses from the federal government.

When asked about employee morale, Toomey did not mention a need for supplements or raises for staff on the frontlines but asked that health departments get thanks for all the work they’ve done.

“All of us are tired and fatigued,” she said. “…I think there’s some frustration that so many people through social media will criticize and we so seldom get thanked for the work we’re doing 24/7.” 

Along with frontline workers, Georgia farmers and producers have been working every day and around the clock to keep Peach State residents fed, Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black told lawmakers.

He said he has one request: funds to increase salaries for food inspector starting salaries and middle management.

“That is a need,” he urged.