Gov. Nathan Deal delivers his third State of the State address since taking office touching on public safety, education, the HOPE Scholarship Program, and ethics reform.

His $19.8 billion budget will include money to restore 10 days to Georgia’s Pre-K program which were cut two years ago.

He is also proposing an additional three percent for the HOPE bringing the total funds for the program for 2014 to nearly $600 million.

In K-12 education, Deal proposes adding an additional $156 million to fund enrollment growth for the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year and $147 million for next year for enrollment growth and salary increases for teachers based on training and experience.

Deal also urged lawmakers to “modernize” the decades-old formula, known as QBE, that’s used to calculate funding for education.

In public safety, the governor proposes lowering the blood alcohol limit for boaters from .10 to .08, the same as automobile drivers.  The bill is named for the two young boys, Jake and Griffin Prince, who were killed in a boating accident on Lake Lanier last summer.

“If you are too drunk to drive an automobile, you are too drunk to drive a boat,” he says.

Deal also wants to require age limits and education for young boat operators as well as mandate all passengers 13 and younger to wear life vests while the boat is moving.

When it comes to ethics reform, Deal says any legislation that is passed this session should go beyond just state lawmakers.

“If there is to be an expansion of the code of ethical conduct for members of the General Assembly, it should equally apply to all elected officials at the state and local levels,” he says.

Deal also urged lawmakers to pass legislation to allow the Department of Community Health to levy a provider fee to hospitals to help fill a nearly $800 million shortfall in Medicaid funding.  The current fee is set to expire in June.