ATLANTA (AP) — An emotional Gov. Sonny Perdue called on state lawmakers to “dig in and do the hard things” so that our children and grandchildren will know a better Georgia.

In his final State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature on Wednesday, Perdue previewed the tough budget battle ahead and urged legislators not to retreat from our duty “to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

He said his budget plan would include another $70 million over two years to fund the state’s struggling mental health system.

Perdue broke with years of tradition by not unveiling his budget proposal on the day of his address. Plunging revenues means legislators will need to make more cuts to the $18.6 billion budget, which will be released on Friday.