ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp asked lawmakers Wednesday for $100 million to support efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The emergency funds would come from the state’s reserves — which lawmakers and state leaders have been reluctant to touch since the Great Recession —

The additional money will go toward Georgia’s Emergency Management Agency and then Department of Public Health to assist coronavirus response efforts.

“I am requesting this funding out of an abundance of caution to ensure that we have all of the necessary medical personnel, equipment, and supplies to keep Georgians healthy and safe in the weeks ahead,” Kemp said in a statement. “I look forward to working with lawmakers to secure this appropriation, and I deeply appreciate their support in this time of need for communities across Georgia.”

The request comes the same day House and Senate Appropriations leaders came together during a conference committee to hash out a final Fiscal Year 2020 budget.

Kemp wrote to lawmakers he appreciates their efforts to build the reserve funds “to ensure Georgia is well-prepared to respond to a threat such as this one.”

Funds not spent fighting coronavirus, he wrote, are required to return to the fund.

Kaleb McMichen, a spokesman for House Speaker David Ralston, said Ralston “fully supports” Kemp’s request to address coronavirus response needs.

“Speaker Ralston is committed to ensuring adequate resources are available, and he is confident in the federal, state and local personnel who are working tirelessly to manage this situation,” he said in a statement.