Senate Appropriations approves amended FY25 budget (House Bill 67) with multi‑million storm relief and targeted investments

The Senate Appropriations subcommittee approved the amended FY25 state budget (House Bill 67) on Feb. 24, advancing an allocation the chair described as redirecting funding to storm recovery and a set of targeted investments across health care, corrections and infrastructure. Senator Robertson moved the final motion to approve the budget; Senator Walker seconded, and the measure passed unanimously, the chair said.

The chair told the committee the amended budget “creates $125,000,000 in relief,” and the package includes what he described as separate line items for agriculture and timber, local cleanup, and additional assistance for households not covered by other categories. He said the Senate’s version specifically “allocates $50,000,000 for agriculture and timber,” establishes an “$82,000,000” line for local cleanup to cover state and local matches for debris removal, and adds “$25,000,000” for households that do not qualify in other categories — all language reported from the chair during the meeting. The chair said those adjustments reflect the impact of four major storms in 2024 and aim to speed recovery in South and East Georgia.

Committee members discussed other major adjustments the chair outlined: funding to stand up a subacute therapy unit at the Veterans Nursing Home in Milledgeville ($2,000,000), an increase in correctional…