On Monday, January 13, 2025, the Georgia House of Representatives convened for the first day of the 2025 legislative session, marking the start of a new biennium for the 158^th Georgia General Assembly. To begin the session, all 180 House members took the Oath of Office, which was administered by Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Boggs. Following the swearing-in, our next order of business was the election of the Speaker of the House and Speaker Pro Tempore. Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) was re-elected as the 75th Speaker of the House, and Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones (R-Milton) was also re-elected to her respective position.

After the election of the Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore, members of the Georgia House of Representatives observed a moment of silence to honor the life and legacy of Former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away in Plains, Georgia, on December 29, 2024. As the 39th President of the United States and Georgia’s 76th Governor—the only Georgian to ever be elected president—Carter’s impact on both the state and the nation was immense. This moment of reflection symbolized the House’s collective gratitude for his life and contributions to our great state and our nation.

Also on Monday, the House voted to adopt an Adjournment Resolution, establishing the legislative calendar for the 2025 legislative session. In accordance with the State Constitution, the Georgia General Assembly is required to be in session for 40 non-consecutive legislative days. This year, Senate Resolution 6, outlines the legislative calendar, with the final day of session, or “Sine Die,” scheduled for Friday, April 4, 2025. With the calendar set, the House is ready to move forward and get to work to address the important issues facing Georgians this legislative session.

On Thursday, members of both the House and Senate gathered for a joint session in the House Chamber to hear Governor Brian Kemp deliver his annual State of the State Address. This address gave the governor the opportunity to present his assessment of the state’s current condition and outline his legislative priorities for the year ahead, which include increased funding for school safety and security, the need for tort reform legislation, expanding access to healthcare in rural areas and increased support for Georgia’s Department of Corrections. You can watch a video archive of the governor’s address here.

Also, this week, the House Committee on Assignments completed its work and announced committee assignments for each representative. I am excited to announce that I have been re-appointed to serve as the Chairman of the Defense and Veterans Committee and will continue my service on the Appropriations, Economic Development and Tourism, Creative Arts and Entertainment, Industry and Labor and Human Relations and Aging Committees.

This Session my legislative priorities will focus on policies to assist our Veterans, reduce the tax burden on our citizens and protect our children on the sports fields and in the classroom. Over the next few weeks I will submit legislation to enhance the ability of our Veterans to obtain their benefits, return money to the hardworking taxpayers and to codify the rule that keeps biological males out of girls’ sports.

Next week, my legislative colleagues and I will return to the Capitol to begin the state budget process where we will hear directly from Gov. Kemp and state agency leaders as they present their budget requests to the Joint House and Senate Appropriations Committee, in an event often referred to as “budget week.” The Appropriations committees will continue meeting throughout the week, and I look forward to providing updates on the budget process as it gets underway.

Throughout our time here at the State Capitol, I look forward to continuing to work to support our community and my constituents. To follow along with important updates from the House, please see our House X (Twitter), @GaHouseHub; Instagram, @gahouseofrepresentatives and Facebook accounts for updates, legislative floor proceedings, press releases and more. To watch livestreams and keep apprised of our House committee meetings, please view the House website here. Furthermore, please reach out to me with any questions and concerns you may have as we this legislative session progresses. I can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at (404) 463-7853.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state representative for the 2025-2026 legislative term.