>>>
>>> THE
>>> THE 2020 GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION STARTS UP TOMORROW.
AND THERE'S A LOT ON THE
AGENDA.
AGENDA.
AGENDA. LAWMAKERS HAVE THEIR WORK CUT
OUT FOR THEM ON IMPROVING THE
BUDGET.
BUDGET.
BUDGET. THERE ARE YOU'RE A NUMBER OF
BILLS THAT COULD AFFECT
BUSINESSES PICTURING THE STATE
TO GIVE US A BREAKDOWN IS THE
MANAGING PARTNER AT OHIO RIVER
SOUTH.
SOUTH.
SOUTH. RYAN ROBERTS IN.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.
BUSY TIME.
BUSY TIME. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET.
THE STATE HAS LOST SOME
REVENUE.
REVENUE.
REVENUE. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF CUTS.
WHAT ARE THE TOP PRIORITIES?
HOW DO WE MAKE UP THE
SHORTFALL?
SHORTFALL? >> WELL, THERE'S GOING TO BE A
LOT OF FOLKS THAT SAY WE NEED
KACENA
KACENA
KACENA >>
KACENA >> WERE LOOKING AT HUNDREDS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OFF OF
WHERE WE WOULD NORMALLY BE.
THIS IS HAPPENING LARGELY
BECAUSE WE CUT TAXES IN THE
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. >> SELF-INFLICTED?
>> SELF-INFLICTED? >> WELL, I THINK IT IS PUTTING
GOVERNMENT ON -- AND LETTING
GEORGIANS KEEP MORE OF THEIR
HARD-EARNED DOLLARS.
HARD-EARNED DOLLARS. AS WE WERE FACING HOW TO CUT,
AND THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY
HARD BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY SO
MUCH IN THE BUDGET.
MEDICAID, SCHOOLS.
MEDICAID, SCHOOLS. REALLY UNTOUCHABLE.
REALLY UNTOUCHABLE. SO YOU END UP HURTING AGENCIES
WHICH LOOKOUT FOR CHILD WELFARE.
WE HAVE CASEWORKER JOBS OPEN
THAT WON'T GET FILLED BECAUSE
OF THESE?.
OF THESE?. THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF CAR
DECISIONS WE MAY.
THERE'S A BALANCE UP AGAINST
THE DESIRE OF SOME CUT TAXES
AGAIN.
AGAIN.
AGAIN. THESE ARE INCOME TAX CUTS.
DOWN TO 5.5%.
THAT WILL REQUIRE AN EVEN
DEEPER LEVEL OF?
>>
>>
>> >>
>> >> YEAH, AND AGAIN, DO YOU
THINK THAT JORDAN'S NOTICE THE
FIRST??
FIRST??
FIRST?? I
FIRST?? I MEAN, OUR CONSTITUENTS
PUSHING FOR THESE??
WHY ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT
IT?
IT?
IT? >>
IT? >> I'M UNDER THE IMPRESSION
THAT THERE ARE A TON OF
CONSTITUENTS.
CONSTITUENTS. IT SOUNDS GREAT DURING THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY. AND THAT SENSE GREAT ON THE
BACK OF A BUMPER STICKER OR --
>> ELECTION-YEAR.
>> ELECTION-YEAR. >> ABSOLUTELY, 2020, THE
AUCTIONEER, ALL ELECTION YEARS,
WERE, YOU HAVE LET MORE DIRT
UNTIL THE.
UNTIL THE. THEY ARE SERVICES THAT PEOPLE
WILL MIST.
WILL MIST. BRIAN MENTIONED SOME OF THE
POSITIONS.
POSITIONS. THERE'S A GROWING COLLECTION OF
HORSES WHO REALLY WANT TO SEE
INVESTMENT ON HEALTHCARE,
INVESTMENT ON EDUCATION, LONG-
OVERDUE INVESTMENT ON A
PROJECTOR.
PROJECTOR. IF ANYTHING, WE ALL AGREE ON,
THAT THE STATE KNOWS IT NEEDS TO
FROM WELL AND TO CONTINUE TO BE
A BETTER PLACE TO DO BUSINESS.
>> WE WERE TALKING ABOUT?.
I WILL REMIND YOU THAT WE CUT
TAXES THE LAST TIME IN AN
ELECTION YEAR, 2018.
NOBODY, NEITHER PARTY, MADE AN
ISSUE OF IT IN THAT ELECTION
CYCLE.
CYCLE.
CYCLE. SO
CYCLE. SO I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT IT IS
THIS A POLITICAL HOT BUTTON
THAT SOME MIGHT PRETEND THAT IT
IS.
IS.
IS. I'M
IS. I'M NOT SURE THAT THERE'S A
HUGE DEMAND FOR THAT IN GEORGIA
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. BUT AMONGST THOSE WHO ARE DOES
HAVE PRIORITY FOR SPENDINGS ARE
GOVERNOR KEMP, WHO WANTS TO SEE
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN
TEACHER PAY.
TEACHER PAY. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> AND HE IS LOOKING TO DO A
LIMITED EXPANSION OF MEDICAID
IN WHICH HE WOULD KNOW IT IS
NOT THE FULL EXPANSION.
IT IS STILL GOING TO COME WITH
EIGHT PRICE TAG FOR TAXPAYERS.
SO THERE'S STILL SOME NEW
SPENDING OUT THERE THAT IS ON
THE TABLE.
THE TABLE. >> RIGHT, AND HEALTHCARE IS
CERTAINLY AN ISSUE THAT A LOT
OF FOLKS ARE WATCHING AND STILL
SOME CRITICS TO THAT MEDICAID
PROGRAM HAVE BEEN PROPOSED BY
THE GOVERNOR.
THE GOVERNOR. >> AND MANY OF THOSE CRITICS
SAY THAT WE ARE NOT GETTING
ENOUGH BANG FOR THEIR.
IF WE WERE TO PARTNER WITH THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WE WERE BE
ABLE TO COVER MANY MORE
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
GEORGIANS.
GEORGIANS. 450,000.
450,000.
450,000. FOR A NUMBER THAT IS NOT THAT
MUCH LARGER THAN THE ONE THAT
IS BEING PROPOSED TO COVER
50,000 GEORGIANS.
50,000 GEORGIANS. AT THE POLITICAL TALKING POINT,
I DON'T THINK IT IS GOING TO
HOLD A LOT OF WATER.
WE WILL SEE IT THROUGH THE
SESSION.
SESSION.
SESSION. WHEN WE GET TO THE GENERAL
ELECTION IN NOVEMBER.
>> IF WE CAN, A LIMITED TIME,
YOU MENTIONED CASINO GAMBLING,
SPORTS BETTING IS ANOTHER
ISSUE.
ISSUE.
ISSUE. FOLKS ARE SAYING, HEY, CAN WE
MAKE UP THE SHORTFALL WITH
THAT?
THAT?
THAT? IS
THAT? IS IT ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING IN
TERMS OF SPORTS BETTING?
CAN WE SEE SOME --
>> WE WILL SEE SOME REVENUE
COME FROM THAT.
AND WHERE WE GET REVENUE ON
ACTIVITIES THAT ARE ALREADY
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. SPORTS BETTING IS HAPPENING IN
GEORGIA TODAY.
GEORGIA TODAY. WE ARE JUST NOT GETTING THAT
TAX REVENUE.
TAX REVENUE. SO THIS WOULD ALLOW US TO
CAPTURE IT.
CAPTURE IT. WE COULD ALSO DO THAT WITH
PEOPLE PLAYING FANDUEL AND
DRAFTKINGS.
DRAFTKINGS. WE DON'T HAVE RELATIONS FOR
THOSE.
THOSE.
THOSE. THAT WILL BE ANOTHER HONEY HOLE
TO GO THROUGH.
IS THIS GOING TO FILL $400
MILLION?
MILLION?
MILLION? NO.
NO.
NO. BUT
NO. BUT IT WILL BE A NEW REVENUE
SOURCE THAT WE CAN LOOK AT.
SPEAKER ROSSEN HAS SAID THAT OF
THE RAMBLING OPTIONS OUT THERE,
SPORTS BETTING IS THE ONE THAT
HE FINDS MOST APPEALING AND THE
BEST CHANCE OF PASSING THE
HOUSE.
HOUSE.
HOUSE. WE
HOUSE. WE HAVE NOT HEARD SOME WORDS
COME OUT OF THE SENATE.
AND GOVERNOR KEMP HAS JUST
SIMPLY SAID, I DON'T LIKE
GAMBLING.
GAMBLING.
GAMBLING. BUT OF WON'T GET IN THE WAY.
>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE FILM TAX CREDIT.
A LOT OF FOLKS ARE CONCERNED
THAT, YOU KNOW, THEIRS TALK
THAT THE CREDIT COULD GO AWAY.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING AND HOW IT
MIGHT THAT IMPACT GEORGIA'S
ABILITY TO ATTRACT, YOU KNOW,
MORE PRODUCTION?
MORE PRODUCTION? >> BRIAN HAS MORE INSIGHT TO
THIS THAN I DO BASED ON THE
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS. I WILL SAY THERE HAVE BEEN A
NUMBER OF ALL HANDS ON DECK
MEETINGS.
MEETINGS.
MEETINGS. AS THESE OVERAGES, OR MORE ON
THINGS ABOUT PULLING BACK ON
THAT TAX.
THAT TAX.
THAT TAX. AND OFTENTIMES WHEN THIS
HAPPENS, REALLY WHAT COMES OUT
OF THE LEGISLATURE IS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO PUT REAL
CONTROLS ON WHAT THOSE TAX
INCENTIVES, HOW THEY GET PAID
OUT, MAKING SURE -- PUT IN
PLACE.
PLACE.
PLACE. FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, THAT'S
WHAT PEOPLE ARE HOPING THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS HEADED.
>> ARE THEY BEING USED AS THEY
SHOULD, THE TAX CREDIT?
>> THE TAX CREDIT HAS WORKED AS
THE LEGISLATURE INTENDED.
THEY WANTED TO CREATE THAT
HOMEGROWN INDUSTRY AND THAT IS
WHAT HAS BEGUN TO HAPPENED.
IF WE JUST SIT STILL, WE HAVE
ALREADY GONE FROM ONE STUDIO IN
GEORGIA TO MORE THAN 12.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> OVER 75,000.
WE ARE THE NUMBER TWO
DESTINATION FOR FILM AND TV IN
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. INCREDIBLE A COMMITMENT.
BUT WE WILL LOSE THAT GROWTH IF
WE PULL BACK ON THE TAX
CREDITS.
CREDITS.
CREDITS. LOUISIANA, GOT RID OF THEIR TAX