In just a few short weeks, the 2016 legislative session will be at hand. The General Assembly will gavel into another 40 days of work for the people of Georgia. Before diving into the issues that will be front and center during 2016, it is important to reflect on the year that is coming to a close.
Our state continues to recover from the lows of the Great Recession. The Governor announced that revenues continued to improve this year over last, as part of the consistent increase over the past several years. At this writing, revenues are up 9.4% over last year. This is a strong indication of the increase in business activity and consumer spending, which is necessary to drive the long term economic growth we all want to see in Georgia. Some of these great economic growth areas include the healthcare, IT, TV/film production and automotive industries. Georgia will continue to be a great place to do business.
The unemployment rate across the state has improved markedly, down to 5.9%, making solid progress since the peaks of the Great Recession. The growth in a variety of economic sectors has created jobs for so many Georgians. With the newly created training programs, like the Georgia Film Academy, outstanding job training for our high school students in college and career academies and Georgia’s high-quality, higher education system run by our Board of Regents, it is the goal of everyone involved to continue to train a talented, highly-skilled workforce to fill the jobs currently available in our state. Georgia continues to be a great place to work.
As part of the important reforms that came through our 2015 legislative session, lawmakers are trying to inject flexibility and creativity into how our children are educated. Charter schools, newly-formed micro-schools and K-12 education reforms will empower parents, teachers and students to work together in new ways to the benefit of our most precious resource — the children of this state. It is a priority for lawmakers in Georgia to make our state the best possible place to raise a family.
Celebrating progress is an important part of the reflection process, but the most important thing we can do is be thankful for our families and their love. The final weeks of 2015 are also the holiday season, where many spend much more time with family than any other time of the year. In these precious moments that are easy to take for granted, enjoy those around and be thankful for them. There will be time to discuss the hard issues, challenges and decisions put in front of us next year.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!