Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) signs legislation to help veterans, service-members, and their families.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Good morning.
00:01 Well, thank you, Speaker Burns.
00:02 Well said, and thank you, Speaker Burns.
00:08 We appreciate your leadership, the leadership of the House and the Senate for their support
00:12 of our men and women in uniform and our veterans.
00:15 I want to thank Colonel Ross and her team as well, and another great supporter of our
00:20 men and women in uniform and of our veterans, and that's our First Lady, Marty Kemp, who's
00:25 with us this morning.
00:26 As we gather to celebrate our commitment to our veterans, I also want to take just a moment
00:38 to honor the life of one of Georgia's own, a Medal of Honor winner whose bravery continues
00:44 to inspire service members today, and that is Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr.
00:50 Through a career spanning the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and beyond, the bravery he
00:55 exhibited and the dedication to his men set him apart as a hero we will always remember.
01:02 Our thoughts and prayers continue to remain with his family and friends at this time.
01:08 Representative Josh Bonner and our Insurance Commissioner General John King and I had the
01:13 great honor of attending his memorial service in Columbus on Saturday, and he wanted a celebration.
01:21 What an incredible individual, incredible family, and one that, an individual that just
01:29 made our whole state and our country proud.
01:32 So it was a great loss, but man, what a life well lived.
01:37 Again, just want to thank Colonel Ross and her team from the Department of Veterans Services,
01:42 and thank you for all that you're doing for our many veterans who call Georgia home.
01:47 Our Constitutional Officers that are with us this morning, the members of the General
01:51 Assembly that just continue to year after year support our men and women in uniform,
01:56 and I certainly want to acknowledge the sponsors and carriers of the bills that I'll sign,
02:02 and I'll do that as well later in my remarks.
02:06 As the Speaker mentioned, I just also want to thank any and all former and current members
02:12 of our armed services.
02:14 We cannot thank you enough for your service and your sacrifice and for those of your families.
02:21 Especially just want to acknowledge and thank Secretary Will Ball, former Secretary of the
02:25 Navy who's with us today.
02:26 He's done a great job leading our Defense Commission to continue to have a state that
02:35 honors and supports the great military institutions that we have around them and also educate
02:43 people not only here but also around the country and especially in the Congress and in the
02:48 Pentagon of the great things that we have going on in our state.
02:52 So I want to thank Secretary Ball for flying in to be with us today.
02:56 We've got a lot of legislation to sign, starting with the bills that will help us achieve our
03:01 goal of making Georgia one of the best states in the nation for our service members, veterans,
03:06 and their families to live and work, as Colonel Ross said.
03:10 Every ceremony that we hold like this, every bill that we sign, and everything that we
03:15 do in this state would not be possible without the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform.
03:22 We know that freedom is not free, that we are only able to take these actions like cutting
03:27 taxes, improving educational opportunities, and supporting our law enforcement because
03:34 brave Americans risk their own security to protect ours.
03:39 We know nothing will ever truly repay the debt we owe all of these heroes, but we have
03:45 taken important steps in recent years to make our state a leader in supporting our military
03:51 and veteran families.
03:53 Two years ago, with the strong bipartisan support of the General Assembly, I proudly
03:57 signed Georgia's first military retirement income tax exemption.
04:03 Last year, we created the Mental Health Services Grant Program in the Department of Veteran
04:07 Services.
04:09 And this year, we allocated $1 million for its expansion in the amended budget.
04:15 We also recently celebrated and are enshrining our Georgia Veterans Hall of Fame right here
04:20 in this state capitol.
04:22 These and so many other measures would not have been possible without the strong bipartisan
04:27 support of our veterans that exist in our General Assembly and across the state.
04:33 I am grateful to all the legislators, advocates, and others who supported us in this mission.
04:40 Together we will continue to support those who have given so much of themselves to ensure
04:45 our freedoms.
04:48 Also just wanted to mention we have one of our Public Service Commissioners here, a proud
04:53 veteran Fitz Johnson is with us today along with Secretary Raffensperger.
04:56 Fitz, thanks for being here.
04:59 Just today, I am going to sign House Bill 880, sponsored by Representative Bethany Ballard
05:04 and carried into Senate by Senator Larry Walker.
05:07 Building on our prior efforts, this bill allows spouses of newly relocated service members
05:12 to temporarily practice while awaiting licensure recognition approval for any licensed occupation.
05:21 We all know military heroes could not do what they do without the support of their families,
05:27 and this legislation will in turn support them as they come to serve our state.
05:32 Next I will sign House Bill 449, sponsored by Chairman Larry Walker in the Senate and
05:38 carried by Chairman Shaw Blackmon in the House.
05:41 It creates a 12-month provisional practice allowance for military medical personnel while
05:47 their license application is pending.
05:50 It also creates a new APRN license and establishes a new licensing system for APRN licenses.
05:59 As we continue to see a critical need for health care workers across our state, this
06:04 common sense legislation will allow men and women who have already served our nation to
06:09 continue that service in their local communities.
06:13 Next I will sign House Bill 995, sponsored by Chairman Josh Bonner and carried into Senate
06:18 by Chairwoman Kay Kirkpatrick.
06:21 This legislation clarifies that K-12 educational institutions can administer the Armed Services
06:27 Vocational Aptitude Battery.
06:31 We will always need brave young people to answer the call to serve a cause greater than
06:38 ourselves, and this bill will help some of Georgia's youth better understand the opportunities
06:44 available to them in our armed forces.
06:47 Finally, I will sign Senate Bill 389, sponsored by Senator Chuck Payne and carried by Representative
06:53 John Carson in the House.
06:55 This bill removes the requirement for our Department of Defense to annually print and
07:01 distribute the military code, helping reduce administrative costs.
07:06 It also removes the requirement that officers' names be printed in the update, helping ensure
07:11 their safety.
07:13 I am grateful to the DOD for their commitment to serving the people of our state in an efficient
07:19 and appropriate manner.
07:21 Though he could not be with us today, I also want to take a moment in closing to thank
07:25 the man who helped achieve these goals and has had such an impact on our state, Major
07:31 General Tom Cardin.
07:33 Though we will certainly miss his leadership, we can rest easy knowing that he is still
07:38 serving our nation, and we know our National Guard will be in safe hands under the capable
07:43 leadership of General Wilson.
07:46 In Georgia, we will never stop working to support our service members and veterans,
07:51 and this legislation that I will sign today is a reminder of that commitment.
07:56 I am proud to stand with all of you today and tell Georgia veterans and our active duty
08:01 folks that we will always have your back.
08:04 And with that, God bless the USA, God bless the great state of Georgia, and God bless
08:10 us signing these great pieces of legislation.
08:12 Thank you for being with us.
08:24 If you would like to be in the photo for House Bill 880, dealing with military spouses licensing,
08:30 please quickly make your way to the stairs.
08:37 Thank you.
08:49 All right, while I look at Anne Elise, we'll get us a little picture.
09:18 All right, this is House Bill 880.
09:46 Thank you.
10:11 Thank you.
10:19 Thank you.
10:39 Thank you.
11:07 Thank you.
11:34 Thank you.
11:40 Thank you.
11:52 Thank you.
12:21 Thank you.
12:26 Thank you.
12:31 Thank you.
12:36 Thank you.
12:41 Thank you.
12:44 Thank you.
13:11 Thank you.
13:23 All right, everybody, let's get a picture real quick.
13:30 All right, let's put a mountain in the sky.
13:33 Chairman Bonner's doing a little eggs and issues at home today.
13:38 I'm going to go to the grass.
13:41 I'm not here.
13:42 I'm going to turn this back.
13:43 Thank you.
14:09 Thank you.
14:31 I got him.
15:00 Thank you.
15:02 Thank you.
15:06 Thank you.
15:12 Thank you.
15:27 Thank you.
15:36 Thank you.
16:05 Thank you.
16:06 Thank you.
16:32 Thank you.