ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has prioritized limiting lawsuit verdicts but the plans he outlined before business leaders Tuesday were all about investing in infrastructure and education.
The Republican governor told the Georgia Chamber of Commerce his reform plans aren’t quite ready yet, and a spokesperson said details would be released before the end of the month.
“We’re just dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s,” spokesperson Garrison Douglas said Tuesday. “This is a massive undertaking.”
Instead, the governor used his speech for the chamber to propose ways to use the state’s $11 billion in surplus cash.
Kemp said he wanted to spend another $1 billion on infrastructure, after the state chipped in an extra $1.5 billion last year. The governor also said he would push a bill to improve how Georgia guides students to college or career training, linking high school learning to college and measuring career training’s effectiveness.
Kemp promised the chamber in 2023 that he would limit lawsuits and large jury verdicts, an effort many call “tort reform.” Supporters say Georgia has a permissive legal system that lets people unfairly sue businesses, medical practitioners and property owners for damages, driving away insurance companies and raising insurance rates.
Normally, Kemp might have rolled out his plan in the first few days of the session, which began this week, but the politics of limiting lawsuits cuts across normal party lines. Opposition comes from Democrats and Republican trial lawyers. Kemp signed a law in 2024 to gather data on lawsuit costs as he considered an array of approaches to reform.
“This is not a partisan issue,” Kemp said Tuesday. “No matter your party, your district, your zip code, or your background, this issue impacts us all.”
Several Republican leaders, including House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonega, have said they would make lawsuit reform a top priority in their chambers.
Opponents to lawsuit reform say changes would limit the rights of Georgians to seek compensation for wrongdoing on the part of businesses, doctors and others. They also say there is no evidence that the state’s legal landscape is causing higher insurance rates.
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Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.