The 157th Georgia General Assembly Update

On January 9, the first session of the 157th Georgia General Assembly convened. The Senate is now led by Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Gov. Brian Kemp was also sworn in on January 12 and has outlined his policy agenda for his second term.

Additionally, 10 brand new senators were sworn in and new individuals were elected to Senate leadership positions. Members elected Sen. John F. Kennedy to serve as president pro tempore. His responsibilities include chairing the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs and handling much of the day-to-day administrative and staffing concerns as well as serving as the president of the Senate in the lieutenant governor's absence.

While change is a gift and brings new perspectives to the legislative process, some changes are unexpected. The Georgia General Assembly will be left without one of its most passionate and historic leaders, Speaker of the House David Ralston. Speaker Ralston was an influential voice and a powerful advocate for the people. Though my heart continues to grieve for Speaker Ralston's family, I'm confident that new Speaker of the House, Representative John Burns, will be able to lead the Georgia House of Representatives with the same fight and determination.

Members of the legislature are often appointed to study committees whose responsibility is to examine a specific policy issue to obtain the necessary information to introduce legislation the following year. In 2022, I served on several such committees. The closest to my heart was the Senate Study Committee on People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Waiver Plan Access. Throughout our meetings, it became clear that current state resources are not sufficiently available or accessible for all individuals who need them, and more needs to be done at the state level to streamline the process.

I also served on the Senate Study Committee on the Creation of a Georgia Cyber Security Force. Cybercrime has emerged as a critical threat to the digital assets of our citizens, individuals, and state agencies. While Georgia has many resources to fight cybercrime, such as the Cyber Security Center in Augusta, more needs to be done to protect nonphysical assets from external threats.

Both study committees generated positive discussions and set us on a course for legislative solutions during the 2023 session.

My constituents know that their safety, along with the safety of all Georgians, is an incredibly important issue to me. So, I will continue to fight to ensure that the streets, public transportation vehicles, and schools within the state are the safest they can be.

I will also continue my efforts to further the progress of businesses, as Georgia has been named the best state in which to do business for nine years in a row. We have a reputation to uphold, and I will continue to work to empower business owners and workers in retaining our title. Georgia will continue to be the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family.

While the new biennial brings lots of change, what doesn't change is me putting the interests of my district at the forefront of every decision I make. I will work to uphold the trust the great people of District 56 have placed in me by working alongside my Senate colleagues. I am honored to be your representative, and I will continue to provide updates as we move forward during this legislative session.