Appropriations subcommittee hears agency budget needs as federal shutdown, data centers and disaster recovery shape requests

The House Appropriations subcommittee on economic development on Nov. 11 heard updates from state agencies on budget shortfalls, disaster recovery spending and emerging infrastructure needs, including a surge in power demand tied to new data centers.

Commissioner Tyler Harper, Department of Agriculture, told the committee that the Rural Center will formally join the Department of Agriculture in January, moving staff currently housed on the ABAC campus into department laboratory space in Tipton and transitioning employees from the university system to state employment. “All the employees will officially become employees of the Department of Agriculture … effective basically in January,” Harper said.

Harper gave a detailed account of the hemp program, saying Georgia has about 7,200 licensed hemp entities across growers, processors, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, with roughly 13 active grower licenses and roughly 1,200 retail/wholesale inspections completed by the department this year. He said the division issued more than 900 cease-and-desist or notice-of-violation letters and opened 31 criminal investigations, with three administrative cases pending.

Harper also reviewed the state response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), calling it an ongoing national issue and noting Georgia has recorded eight detections since February 2022 and about 345,000 birds impacted in the state compared with about 182…