Georgia House passes $811 million Hurricane relief and $40.5 billion amended FY2025 budget

The Georgia House of Representatives voted 166–3 on Feb. 6 to approve House Bill 67, an amended fiscal 2025 budget that the chairman said is “set by a revenue estimate of $40,500,000,000 in state funds” and includes a package of disaster relief, infrastructure and public-safety investments.

The House’s supplemental appropriations bill directs what Chairman Hatchett described as a mix of surplus-driven and midyear revenue funding that adds resources for Hurricane Helene recovery, local infrastructure, school security, foster-care services and corrections. “Funding recovery efforts and providing aid to communities across the state that are still reeling from the storm is a top priority of mine,” Hatchett said while presenting the bill.

Hatchett told members the budget incorporates about $2.7 billion in surplus funds on top of the revenue estimate. Major allocations in the House bill include: $811 million for Hurricane Helene relief and recovery (the House package adds $197 million above the governor’s recommendation), $250 million in new funds for GIFA to support low-interest loans for water and wastewater infrastructure, $500 million for coastal surface water development, and more than $500 million in new Georgia Department of Transportation funding for interstate and freight corridor projects. The House proposal also adds $37.5 million to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, $7.5 million in airport aid and $5 million for rail.

On public-safety and…