states coronavirus response, the budget, healthcare and passing hate crime legislation. from the capitol in atlanta this is one hour and ten minutes. please take your seats. will you please read a resolution. . [applause] also a great friend speaker pro tem jones. [applause] and from the senate, a great friend of all of ours president pro tem of the senate butch miller. [applause] and some of your entire family has gained great respect and to be excited about your efforts around human trafficking and the first lady of the state of georgia mrs. camp. [applause] and it s a great honor to choose the first lady of this chamber ms. bradburn. [applause] will what is unable to make it today due to a previous scheduled appointment but my son parker in the first son of the house thank you. [applause] my to take a moment to welcome many of you back to the general assembly i also went welcome so many of you that are here for the first time. it s hard to believe this is my ninth gene
will you please read a resolution. . [applause] also a great friend speaker pro tem jones. [applause] and from the senate, a great friend of all of ours president pro tem of the senate butch miller. [applause] and some of your entire family has gained great respect and to be excited about your efforts around human trafficking and the first lady of the state of georgia mrs. camp. [applause] and it s a great honor to choose the first lady of this chamber ms. bradburn. [applause] will what is unable to make it today due to a previous scheduled appointment but my son parker in the first son of the house thank you. [applause] my to take a moment to welcome many of you back to the general assembly i also went welcome so many of you that are here for the first time. it s hard to believe this is my ninth general assembly i have been around it s hard to imagine them as time has passed i stand here today continually reminded that honesty and integrity are the best long-term strat
balance the two priorities the health and well-being of our people and their ability to put food on the table for themselves and their families . in march and april 2020, that was not easy. many problems we confronted as a state led to long days and sleepless nights. it seems like forever ago, but in the early days of our fight against covid-19, protecting the lives was a minute by minute value battle against a virus we knewlittle about . our first test was in albany in the southwest part of our state. a few super spreader that led to the first church in virus cases andhospitalizations throughout the region . the local healthcare infrastructure was being strained to the breaking point andcommunity spread of the virus was rampant . in response, the state quickly deployed national guard infection control teams to alert local nursing homes. contracted with additional hospital staff to a local front-line healthcare workers and dispatch estate purchased mobile hospi