ATLANTA – House Minority Leader James Beverly (D-Macon) today issued the following statement in response to Governor Brian Kemp’s State of the State address with concern for the state of COVID-19 cases, education and business in Georgia:
“We must do better.
“This administration chose to prevent access to quality, affordable health care to thousands of Georgians who fall in the Medicaid coverage gap, even though our state ranks as the third highest in the nation in uninsured adults and 11th highest in uninsured children.
“Teachers continue to put it all on the line for their students even as the governor and Republican state legislators slashed the state’s budget for education by nearly $1 billion last year. Georgia ranks 34th in education funding per student. In contrast, it ranks fourth in total incarcerations and sixth in total citizens in private prisons. We should be sending young people to community colleges and technical schools, not to prison. Which is a better investment in our kids and our future?
“Governor Kemp chose to leave the Georgia Department of Labor overwhelmed, leaving thousands of Georgians without their Unemployment Insurance claims reviewed, paid or appealed.
“The Georgia House Democratic Caucus (GHDC) will continue to fight to extend Medicaid to all of our citizens who work hard but cannot afford health insurance for themselves and their families. Close to 12,000 Georgians have lost their lives due to COVID-19 and more than 650,000 people have tested positive who might not have if we had followed the CDC guidelines.”
Representative James Beverly represents the citizens of District 143, which includes portions of Bibb County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 and currently serves as House Minority Leader. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and on the Ethics, Health & Human Services, Retirement, Rules, Small Business Development and Special Rules committees.
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