State Policy Agenda
Each year, the Augusta Metro Chamber develops a State of Georgia Legislative Agenda that includes both proactive statements and responsive positions on matters affecting our state and the Greater Augusta region.
2025 State Policy Statements
Housing Opportunity:
Like many states across the country, Georgia currently faces a shortage of housing opportunity and affordability. This issue significantly impacts Georgia’s ability to attract and retain population as well its ability to continue to build a superior labor force and economic opportunity for all Georgians. There is an urgent need for state and local policy makers to study the impacts of state and local regulatory costs that substantially increase the cost of housing including zoning, land use and impact fees and modernize incentives and policies that create a diverse inventory of housing stock.
Development Authorities:
Like many states across the country, Georgia currently faces a shortage of housing opportunity and affordability. This issue significantly impacts Georgia’s ability to attract and retain population as well its ability to continue to build a superior labor force and economic opportunity for all Georgians. There is an urgent need for state and local policy makers to study the impacts of state and local regulatory costs that substantially increase the cost of housing including zoning, land use and impact fees and modernize incentives and policies that create a diverse inventory of housing stock.
Ft. Eisenhower Cyber Center of Excellence
Military installations across Georgia represent significant employment and economic impact. In the Greater Augusta Region, Ft. Eisenhower is the largest single employ er and plays an important role in our nation’s defense, particular in the areas of communications training, cyber security and intelligence. In particular, the need to ensure Ft. Eisenhower is supported by a transportation network proportionate to its ever-increasing employment levels is a high priority including the development of the new proposed interchange at I20/Lewisville Road.
Augusta University
A new research building at Augusta University will provide state-of-the-art facilities and resources to foster innovation and scientific discovery. The project would span multiple phases. The University System of Georgia (USG) has approved $13.3M in their FY 2026 budget for the project design. The project total will be approximately $146.2M. We support the continued growth of Augusta University and its impact on the state of Georgia.
Licensing and Certifications
Occupational licensing has grown exponentially, today comprising nearly 25% of the US workforce, compared to only 5% nearly 60 years ago. According to the Institute for Justice Research, Georgia’s licensing laws for lower-income occupations rank as the 14th most burdensome in the country. We encourage state policy makers and regulatory departments to ensure modernized and efficient services as well as lower barriers to the portability of licensing and certifications.
Film Tax Credits
Georgia has become a state of choice for film production. Careful consideration must be given to any proposed changes in existing incentives that will provide Georgia with continued growth in this sector. Fair and equitable use of tax credits for films produced in all parts of the state are particularly important to the Augusta Region which has seen significant economic impact of this industry.
Augusta Technical College
Augusta Tech is an important part of our regional educational infrastructure. As the college continues to grow and offer a wider variety of vital educational opportunities, it is important that funding to support its many missions keeps pace. Technical education is an important driver of meeting our local workforce needs, especially in high demand careers. As the Augusta campus continues to meet its mission, it is important that facilities meet the broad geographical needs of the region as well as prioritize, with its facilities, first-in-class educational opportunities and experiences to attract students. We support the appropriations needed to expand Augusta Technical College’s campus and in particular, the proposed Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Technology facility.
Public K-12
Georgia must ensure it continues efforts to prioritize funding across all districts as part of its annual budget process. Efforts to increase graduation rates and enhance learning experiences, especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math should be an important priority for our state. The expansion of the CTAE Career Pathway programs will greatly aid students in preparing for jobs in highest demand as will the efforts of local school districts to specifically align educational opportunities to the specific needs of a regional workforce. The Chamber supports policy that offers financial resources at the K-12 level for student work-based learning and apprenticeships and programs which aid and accelerate a newly emerging workforce.
TIA (TSPLOST)
The Augusta Region has greatly benefited from the ability to utilize local sales tax dollars to fund local transportation needs and will continue to maximize the opportunities that the Transportation Investment Act of 2010 provides. A successful referendum in 2020 now ensures that the Augusta 13-county region will self-support growing infrastructure needs locally, through 2032. It Is important, however, that the region continues to benefit from fair and congressionally authorized state and federal transportation funding to that of levels across the state.
Technological Developments in Transportation
In acknowledging the evolution of automotive technology, Georgia is well positioned to support an emerging electric vehicle industry and can serve as an influencer on policy that adapts new transportation technology. The Chamber supports efforts to ensure that state and local communities are well positioned with new infrastructure opportunities that facilitate this evolution.