ATLANTA, Ga. (WTXL) — Georgia House Speaker David Ralston announced a plan to hand out $1,000 bonuses to state employees who earn less than $80,000 a year on Wednesday.
Under Ralston's plan, about 57,000 employees would receive that bonus once approved by the General Assembly.
The one-time bonus would honor front-line workers across the state that worked so hard during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Brian Kemp announced a similar bonus for the state’s teachers about a month ago, which Ralston said he and his colleagues were happy to stand behind.
“But then we wanted to see if we could do more,” Ralston said at the news conference Wednesday. “We wanted to extend that $1,000 bonus beyond our teachers to many of our frontline state employees who have also served our citizens through the worst days of this pandemic.”
An additional $59 million has been appropriated to cover the bonuses that will span most state agencies.
Ralston said there are some exceptions for employees for the Board of Regents and some other state authorities, but those agencies may be able to find money from other funds.
