WELL WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TALK TO BOTH OF YOU.

BUT WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL BEST RIGHT NOW.

JOINING US NOW FROM THE CAPITOL IS GEORGIA GOVERNOR BRIAN KEMP.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON THE SHOW, GOVERNOR.

>> GOOD EVENING, GLAD TO DO IT.

>> I KNOW IT IS A BUSY, BUSY TIME FOR YOU.

SO LET'S GET STARTED IN -- I KNOW IN A FEW MINUTES YOU'RE GOING TO TALK TO BOTH OF THE CHAMBERS.

KIND OF GIVE US A PREVIEW OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT.

>> YEAH, REALLY JUST GOING TO THANK THEM FOR EMBRACING THE BOLD VISION THAT WE LAID OUT IN OUR STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS, JUST, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE LESS THAN THREE MONTHS AGO.

THANK THEM FOR RAISING TEACHER PAY AND EDUCATOR PAY.

THANKING THEM FOR ACCELERATING THE LARGEST STATE INCOME TAX CUT THAT WE HAVE DONE IN HISTORY THAT IS GOING TO SAVE GEORGIA TAXPAYERS $3 BILLION OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS.

HISTORIC INVESTMENT IN THE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, IN THE BUDGET, AND A LOT OF OTHER THINGS.

REALLY JUST GOING TO SAY THANK YOU.

I KNOW THEY GOT A LOT OF WORK LEFT TO DO, STILL GOT TO PASS THE BUDGET, BUT THEY'RE GETTING THERE.

>> YEAH, I KNOW YOU HAD SOME PRIORITIES.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT SOME OF YOUR PRIORITIES THIS SESSION?

>> YEAH, THANKFULLY WE GOT MOST EVERYTHING THAT WE NEEDED TO DO AND THINGS THAT I HAD MENTIONED IN THE STATE OF THE STATE, WHETHER IT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGISLATION, AND OBVIOUSLY OUR FIRST STEP ON HISTORIC TORT REFORM THAT WE PLAN ON DOING DONE A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO.

SO, REALLY TODAY WE JUST HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SOME PERCOLATING ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN SOME DISAGREEMENTS ON BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE, TRYING TO HELP THEM GET BILLS INTO BETTER PLACE, MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND WHERE WE HAVE ISSUES FROM THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OR THE AGENCY SIDE OF THINGS AND SO WE HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY DOING THAT TODAY.

AND I'M SURE WE WILL BE THE REST OF THE NIGHT.

>> WELL, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU, A COUPLE OF THE LEADERS THAT HAVE TALKED TO ME AND THEY MENTIONED THEY WISH THEY COULD HAVE DONE MORE WITH TORT REFORM THIS YEAR.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT?

>> WELL, LISTEN, I TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE SESSION STARTED, AND WHERE WE WERE.

I MEAN, EVERYBODY IN THIS BUILDING WORKED REALLY HARD ON TORT REFORM LAST YEAR.

BUT NOTHING COULD GET DONE.

AND WHEN WE TALKED TO EVERYBODY ABOUT WHAT THEY ACTUALLY WANTED, NOBODY COULD REALLY POINT TO WHAT WAS SPECIFICALLY GOING TO HELP STABILIZE OR LOWER COSTS.

AND SO WE CAME UP WITH A PLAN TO PASS A BILL, WHICH WE HAVE GOTTEN PASSED, I LOOK FORWARD TO SIGN, THAT WILL GIVE US THE DATA WE NEED TO COME BACK OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO AND TAKE RIFLE SHOTS AT TORT REFORM.

THERE HAS BEEN A COUPLE OF GOOD THINGS THAT HAVE PASSED THIS YEAR, SO WE MADE A FIRST STEP THERE, BUT WE GOT MORE WORK TO DO AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TAKING THE LEAD ON THAT NEXT YEAR.

>> OKAY, SO WE'LL SEE SOME MORE NEXT YEAR THEN.

THERE WAS SOME MOVEMENT THIS SESSION EVEN AMONG REPUBLICANS FOR SOME TYPE OF MEDICAID EXPANSION.

THAT HASN'T HAPPENED.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GIVEN THAT YOU ADVOCATED FOR YOUR PATIENTS FIRST ACT?

>> WELL, WE'RE CONTINUING TO HAVE GREAT SUCCESS IN THE TWO WAVERS THAT WE HAVE DESPITE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TRYING TO BLOCK OUR MEDICAID EXPANSION.

THIS IS A CONSERVATIVE EXPANSION THAT GOES ALONG WITH WORK REQUIREMENTS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE THINK IS REALLY THE WAY TO GO IN OUR STATE.

BRINGING MEDICAID EXPANSION UP TWO OR THREE DAYS TO GO IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, IN MY OPINION, IS NOT VERY GOOD LEGISLATING AND IS QUITE HONESTLY A TERRIBLE IDEA.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE ARKANSAS PLAN, AND THESE OTHER PLANS.

THE FACT IS THE PLAN THAT WAS PROPOSED WOULD TAKE OVER 700,000 PEOPLE OFF OF PRIVATE SECTOR HEALTH INSURANCE AND PUT THEM ON THE GOVERNMENT ROLE.

NOBODY EVER TALKED ABOUT WHAT THAT IS GOING TO COST.

NOBODY EVER ASKED PEOPLE THAT ARE ON PRIVATE SECTOR HEALTH INSURANCE WHETHER THEY WANTED TO GO TO, YOU KNOW, A SINGLE PAYER GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTHCARE.

MANY PEOPLE DO NOT.

SO, I THINK THAT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA.

WE HAVE BEEN GLAD TO CONTINUE TO TALK WITH THE LEGISLATURE ON THESE ISSUES, LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR, WHEN WE EXPANDED MEDICAID UP TO 12 MONTHS FOR BIRTHING MOTHERS TO DEAL WITH SOME OF OUR MORE MATERNAL MORTALITY ISSUES.

AND THE OTHER SIDE TALKS LIKE WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING, DONNA, AND WE HAVE DONE A LOT.

WE GOT A LOT IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR DEALING WITH THOSE THINGS AS WELL.

WE'RE GOING TO KEEP WORKING HARD ON THOSE ISSUES.

>> I KNOW PATIENTS FIRST ACT GOT ROLLING LAST YEAR, DIDN'T IT, SIR?

>> YEAH, THE PRIVATE SECTOR SIDE OF THAT, OPENING UP THE MARKETS TO HARD WORKING GEORGIANS ACROSS THE STATE HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE.

WE HAVE PUT OVER 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE ON THE ROLES, WE REDUCED PREMIUMS ANYWHERE FROM 11% UP TO 25% IN RURAL MARKETS WHERE THERE WAS ONLY ONE MARKET OR ONE COMPANY AVAILABLE TO PRICE A MARKET.

YOU KNOW, OUR MEDICAID SIDE OF THINGS DID GET SLOWED DOWN BECAUSE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS FOUGHT US TOOTH AND NAIL EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

WE ACTUALLY HAD TO SUE THEM TO IMPLEMENT THIS POLICY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROVED.

SO, IT HAS BEEN VERY FRUSTRATING DEALING WITH THAT SIDE OF THINGS.

WE'RE OFF AND ROLLING NOW AND ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK ON THAT ISSUE.

AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO EDUCATE THE LEGISLATURE ON THAT AS WELL.

>> WELL, I KNOW YOU SPENT SEVERAL YEARS EXPERIENCING SINE DIE IN THE CHAMBER.

SO, HERE IT IS.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE IT A LITTLE BIT FOR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WHO HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED IT BEFORE, WHAT IT IS LIKE, AND DO YOU MISS IT AT ALL, SIR?

>> WELL, I'M VERY HAPPY WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW.

IT IS ORGANIZED CHAOS DOWN HERE.

THIS IS A DAY WHERE WE REALLY HAVE TO BE ON OUR TOES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW WHAT'S PASSED AND WHAT'S NOT AND TRYING TO MAKE -- KEEP BAD THINGS FROM HAPPENING, BUT HELP SUPPORT GOOD THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO HAVE A FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT, HAVE LESS GOVERNMENT IN OUR STATE, HAVE LESS REGULATION AND SOMETIMES ON CRAZY DAYS LIKE THIS, THINGS THAT DO THE OPPOSITE WILL HAPPEN.

SO, WE ARE VERY FOCUSED ON FIGHTING THAT FIGHT TONIGHT AND WORKING WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

REGARDLESS OF THE WORK PART OF IT, IT CERTAINLY IS AN EXCITING EVENING.

THESE FOLKS HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD AS OUR PEOPLE HAVE FOR OVER THREE MONTHS AND WE APPRECIATE THEIR PUBLIC SERVICE AND IN THAT WAY, IT IS A GREAT AND FUN NIGHT TO BE AT THE CAPITOL.

>> YEAH, I HEAR SOME BELLS RINGING BEHIND YOU.

SO THEY'RE BUSY.

THEY REALLY VERY MUCH ARE WORKING VERY MUCH TONIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, SIR, FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO TALK WITH US TONIGHT.

AND HAVE A GREAT EVENING.