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Deal looks back at 8 years in office in final state of the state

Here are three takeaways from Thursday's speech.

Gov. Nathan Deal gave his eighth and final state of the state speech today to the Georgia legislature. It was more of a look back at his last seven years than it was a look ahead to his final year.

Deal said it was not a farewell address. He said that at the end of a speech that sounded an awful lot like one. Here are three takeaways.

The state’s biggest change under his leadership may very well be its newfound presence in the film industry, which Deal said has added 92,000 jobs in Georgia, the result of generous tax credits for filmmakers.

The speech stressed improvements to Georgia’s technical schools, and the creation of a grant, which pays tech school tuition for 17 high-demand fields.

And speaking of education, there was quite a bit in the speech about Sandra Deal, the retired schoolteacher who became the low-key but very busy wife of the governor.

Deal told lawmakers that Sandra Deal has made 834 school visits over the last seven years. That’s more than two school visits every week – and in every county -- since she became first lady.

The governor noted one thank-you letter she’d gotten from a young student.

“Thank you for visiting my school and thank you for running the state of Georgia,” the letter said.

TRANSCRIPT | Gov. Deal's final state of the state address

Deal has some initiatives for this year involving funding for rural airports and tweaking the criminal justice system.

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