On Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signed two tort reform bills that will limit lawsuits in Georgia.
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00:00All right.
00:08Well, good afternoon, everybody.
00:10Let me, first of all, just thank you for being here.
00:14And I recognize that we are here to celebrate a legislative milestone
00:19and a great step forward in keeping our state competitive.
00:23But I wanted to start real quick by just taking time
00:27to honor one of our fallen heroes.
00:30Marty and I just came from the funeral for Lieutenant Helio Armando Garcia,
00:36who, as you all know, tragically lost his life in service to his fellow Georgians.
00:41We're also mindful of Lieutenant Charles Cook and his family,
00:46who also serves with the South Fulton Police Department.
00:50He is going to endure a tough recovery following last weekend's violent attempt on his life
00:56when he was shot three times exiting his patrol car during a traffic stop.
01:01I just want to ask all of you and my fellow Georgians to do like our family's doing
01:07and just hold these folks in your thoughts and prayers,
01:10certainly over the next several weeks,
01:13and continue to pray for these victims and their loved ones,
01:17along with all our law enforcement throughout this state and our country.
01:22Despite what some in the media will try to tell you,
01:25men and women like this make our communities stronger, safer, and better.
01:30They put their lives on the line for us every single day,
01:33and they deserve our unfailing respect and appreciation for those sacrifices.
01:39Lieutenant Garcia and Lieutenant Cook are perfect examples of that,
01:44and we will continue to hold them in our thoughts and prayers in the coming days and weeks.
01:49I know that Lieutenant Governor Jones, Speaker Burns, Commissioner King all agree with that sentiment.
01:56So do all those who have joined us here today.
01:59So I want to thank them for supporting our law enforcement,
02:02as well as for their support of the legislation that I will sign this afternoon.
02:07Thank you all very much.
02:08The people you see up here and the others who couldn't make it with us today were with us through every step of the process.
02:27I think we've been interrupted by live programming.
02:34The people you see up here and others who couldn't be here today were with us through this every step of the process,
02:42and we would not be here today without their steadfast leadership.
02:46Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John King, who undertook the task of studying this issue last year,
02:53following the passage of HB 1114, the Data Analyst for Torque Reform Act,
02:59and his work and advocacy were essential to crafting this legislation and this passage.
03:08Thank you, Commissioner King.
03:20Through over 25 hours of public testimony and countless, countless hours behind the scenes,
03:27Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy did not stop working for us to get to this moment.
03:33Everyone here today and every job creator and hardworking Georgian who will benefit from this legislation
03:40is grateful for your tireless efforts, Senator.
03:42Thank you very much.
03:43Thank you as well to House Majority Whip James Burchett, who carried the legislation in the House.
04:00He unfortunately could not be with us this afternoon, but he was also instrumental in gaining support from his colleagues,
04:08and we are thankful for the job well done.
04:11And a job well done to the members and leadership in both the Senate and the House who supported SB 68 and 69.
04:20I appreciate all of your work on these bills.
04:23And finally, to the members of the business and healthcare community who advocated for tort reform for years
04:30and stood shoulder to shoulder with us throughout this process,
04:33thank you for being here and for your unwavering dedication to making positive things happen.
04:39We appreciate you all. Thank you.
04:41Today is accumulation of a process that began nearly two years ago.
04:57We had heard for years about the need for meaningful tort reform in our state to ensure our business environment remain competitive.
05:04In August of 2023, I announced my administration would seek to bring balance to Georgia's courtrooms,
05:11provide relief to our job creators, and stabilize the insurance marketplace for consumers.
05:17We heard from many stakeholders across various industries.
05:21And my administration prioritized the passage of HB 1114, which gave Commissioner King's office the tools it needed to make recommendations to the legislature in my office based on data and facts.
05:36Their report was clear.
05:38Action was desperately needed to stabilize our insurance marketplace and to protect our consumers.
05:45But we didn't stop there.
05:47The office also held multiple roundtables around the state to hear from industries across the spectrum that were facing unsustainable hits to their bottom lines from out-of-control premiums,
05:58thanks to ever-increasing lawsuit costs.
06:01Childcare facilities, truckers, restaurant owners, doctors, hospitals, grocery store owners, gas station companies, you name it.
06:12The calls for change came from every sector of Georgia's economy.
06:17The status quo was simply unacceptable.
06:20The comprehensive, common sense measures we proposed just a few months ago were a direct result of these conversations
06:28and ensured our legal environment put Georgia on equal footing with neighboring states who compete with us for jobs and investment.
06:37But our work did not end there.
06:39In the weeks that followed, we continued to meet with stakeholders and legislators to hear how we can ensure we had a carefully crafted final product.
06:49The package received numerous hearings throughout the legislative process, both in the Senate and then in the House.
06:56We listened to legitimate concerns raised by legislators, advocates, and stakeholders alike.
07:03It made changes to ensure those concerns were addressed and the legislation was strengthened throughout the legislative process.
07:11Perhaps most importantly, together, we tuned out the noise.
07:16We stood strong against lies and false attacks, and we did what was right for the people who elected us.
07:23In the end, both of these bills accomplished our goal of leveling the playing field in Georgia's courtrooms and ensuring our business environment remains the best in the nation.
07:35Senate Bill 68 and 69 bring Georgia into alignment with neighboring states and protect the rights of both sides to a fair trial.
07:45Let me be clear, if you are wronged in this state, you deserve to be made whole, and you still can be, by bringing your claim before a jury.
07:55This legislation protects that very right.
07:58SB 68 and 69 simply bring transparency and fairness to a process that has been abused for too long, that has driven up costs for businesses and consumers alike.
08:12I'm proud to sign these two bills today, and I'm proud of the thoughtfulness and care that went into crafting them.
08:19This was not an easy road to go down, but I want to thank everyone who supported this effort for their courage to take on a tough issue and help deliver relief for the people of our state.
08:32But most importantly, let's thank the good Lord we didn't have to have a special session.
08:50And with that, I'll turn it over to a great partner in this effort, our Lieutenant Governor, Bert Jones.
08:55Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone, and thank you Governor Kemp for those words.
09:06We really appreciate your leadership on this effort.
09:08SB 68 and 69 was something that was definitely a team effort on behalf of the Senate and the House.
09:15I want to thank Speaker Burns and Leader Burchette for the hard work that they did, as long as every member of the House.
09:22I also want to thank Senator Kennedy for his hard work.
09:26I know he really worked hard and really went through a lot of testimony and just put in a lot of hours on trying to make this thing happen.
09:36Commissioner King, as well, the hard work that he's done the last two years on this subject matter.
09:41We think this is a measure that was very fair.
09:44It was a process that we engaged everybody who was going to be effective by it, both the ones that wanted it and the ones who did not want to see it.
09:54And we think at the end of the day, this is a bill, these bills are good for businesses and they're good for the consumers.
10:01So appreciate the, like I said, the team effort from the governor's office and the speaker's office.
10:06And we look forward to signing this into law here, Governor.
10:11So I recognize Speaker Burns for a few comments.
10:16Thank you, Lieutenant Governor.
10:31Governor.
10:32We appreciate your leadership getting this done.
10:34Governor Kemp, certainly appreciate what you've done to ensure that we got this done.
10:39Yes, sir.
10:40You do know what I know.
10:41It's a great day to be a Georgian.
10:43I think y'all agree with me on that.
10:44And one step further, it's a great day for every Georgian across this state.
10:56Because today, Governor Kemp is signing into law an historic measure, the most comprehensive package of lawsuit reform that our state has seen in nearly two decades.
11:09Last year, during our interim, I was proud to join with Governor Kemp as he hosted roundtable discussions where we heard from Georgia's businesses about the issues they're facing.
11:19And the consensus was clear.
11:22The cost of insurance is crippling many companies who are already struggling to stay afloat here in our state.
11:29Coming into this, the 2025 session, we knew that sensible, measured lawsuit reform was needed to return stability to our insurance market and ballots to our courtrooms.
11:42And this legislation, SB 68 and 69 does just that.
11:49The House Special Subcommittee of Rules on Lawsuit Reform heard over 15 hours of testimony from Georgians and stakeholders on every side of this issue.
11:59Ensuring that the legislation we passed took a balanced approach that will deliver financial relief to our citizens and our businesses across Georgia.
12:08All, all and very importantly, as the Governor said, while protecting the rights of those with legitimate claims to be made whole.
12:17Today, we are balancing the scales of justice here in Georgia and ensuring fairness for those on both sides of civil claims.
12:26Now, throughout the interim, the House will take another look at something that's important.
12:30A close look at our state's insurance markets and premiums to ensure that our fellow Georgians and companies of every size have access to coverage and are not being subjected to unjustified rate increases.
12:45Governor Kemp, I want to thank you again for leading this effort.
12:49Bill sponsors, Senator Kennedy, great work, Representative Burchett and members of the House Special Committee on Rules on Lawsuit Reform,
12:58and certainly the chairman that led that effort, Chairman Leverett, who conducted himself and those meetings in an open and comprehensive manner.
13:05And also every member of the General Assembly who prioritized delivering relief for the people of Georgia.
13:12Governor Kemp, I want to divert and thank you and the First Lady for attending the services this morning.
13:18Thank you so much for standing behind those that ensure our safety in the public safety world.
13:23Thank you for that.
13:24You're always the champions for our public safety officials.
13:27Thank you for all of you that are here attending this state.
13:29It's a great day to be a Georgian.
13:31It's a great day to be blessed by a good Lord.
13:34Governor Kemp.
13:35Well, thank you very much, Speaker Burns and Lieutenant Governor Jones and Commissioner King.
13:50Pro Tem, Kennedy, Representative Burchett who is not here with us.
13:54with us, both the Special Committee in the House and the Judiciary Committee in the Senate.
14:00We just appreciate the time you all spent on this legislation, and I know that is not
14:05an easy thing during such a busy time.
14:07But we're grateful again for everybody that's here with us, for all your advocacy, whether
14:12you're in the General Assembly, in the business community, or a hard-working Georgian out
14:17there that needed some relief.
14:18We're grateful that we've been able to get this done.
14:21With that, we'll move over.
14:22We'll get the First Lady up here with us.
14:24And move over and get these bills signed and get this thing into law.
14:27Thank you all very much.