In the November 2014 elections, the people spoke and their voices could not be louder nor their words any clearer. They want positive and conservative solutions to issues arising here in Georgia and across the nation. This year, we welcome 10 new senators, each of whom I look forward to working with during the upcoming legislative session. On January 12, legislators will officially be sworn into office as the General Assembly marks the beginning of a new 40-day legislative term.
Although Georgia continues to face many substantive challenges, I plan to focus on job creation, economic development, traffic congestion solutions, improving education and supporting all men and women in uniform. While the legislative session is on the horizon, let's take a look at our current state and see what's going on.
The state of Georgia has seen consistent job creation over the past few months. With an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, last August marked the highest unemployment rate the state had seen throughout all of 2014. In September, more than 38,000 jobs were created, which in turn dropped the unemployment rate to 7.9 percent for September. In October, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent. Although jobs are being created and the rate of unemployment is continuing to drop, we still have a lot of work to do.
Georgia has recently become the hub of economic development in the Southeast. With company after company expanding or moving to Georgia, it's no wonder the state was ranked No. 1 for business climate by CNBC and Site Selection magazine in 2014.
Transportation is vital to our state. Georgia is home to 15 Fortune 500 companies, the world's busiest airport, the nation's fastest-growing seaport and 6.5 million drivers, who travel 108.5 billion miles each year. The combination of a growing population in Atlanta and declining gas tax revenues are making it increasingly more difficult to fund our transportation system.
Last March, legislators approved the FY 2015 budget, which allocated an additional $20 million in motor fuel funds to fund road and bridge projects. As a result, we are beginning to see projects on many of metro Atlanta's highway interchanges, including the revamping of the Georgia 400/Interstate 285 interchange. We will continue to research new innovative ways to utilize our old infrastructure to support the growing needs of our transportation system.
I strongly believe that men and women, who unselfishly serve our state and country in uniform, deserve nothing but respect. I will support any legislation that supports our military, police, firefighters and their families.
Overall, our state is on the right track. I look forward to representing you this legislative session. If I can be of any assistance or answer any questions, please reach out to me. As your senator, I am deeply humbled and honored by your confidence, and look forward to being another positive and conservative voice during the upcoming legislative session.
to your business!