(Atlanta, GA) – Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and Speaker David Ralston released the following joint statement regarding the state budget:
“This week, the House and Senate met with our respective leadership teams to determine the best approach to tackling the budget in light of the continued decline in revenue figures. January’s numbers were a game-changer and, as a result, the House and the Senate will spend the next two weeks working together, committed to focusing solely on the budget. Balancing the budget is our constitutional obligation and it must be done the right way in order to create an economic climate in Georgia that will provide more jobs – our top priority.
“The next two weeks begin a new phase of openness and inclusiveness in the House and Senate. In joint Appropriations hearings, we will work as partners to dissect the budget line by line. Accomplishing this task will require hours of work by us, our appropriations chairmen, leadership teams, and our House and Senate membership. We are also committed to working alongside the Governor as we deliberate together.
“As we have said often leading up to this session, the reality we face this budget year is nearly unprecedented and we must act accordingly. We are confident that the fastest way for Georgia’s economy to recover is to fulfill our ultimate goal of creating an environment where businesses can grow and our citizens can get back to work.”
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