The Opening Of The Session
This Monday marked the beginning of the 155th Georgia General Assembly. It has been an exciting week here under the Gold Dome with Governor Brian P. Kemp’s inauguration kicking things off on Monday.
Before legislators headed over to Governor Kemp’s inauguration ceremony, we had a swearing in ceremony ourselves. The first order of business Monday was for all 56 senators, including our five new members, to be sworn in to office by Georgia Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel. I was honored to have my wife with me as I made an oath to serve Senate District 25 and the state of Georgia.
After taking care of some business in the Senate Chamber, the General Assembly attended the governor’s inauguration where he, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan and many other constitutional officers were sworn in to office. This year’s session is going to be full of many new leaders which means the General Assembly will need to work together to ensure our priorities align and are vetted thoroughly to address the needs of Georgians.
In addition to new leadership positions, on Tuesday Lt. Governor Duncan and the Senate Committee on Assignments appointed chairman and memberships to senators. This session, I will continue to serve as Chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee. I will also serve as Secretary of the Rules Committee and as a member of the Appropriations and Transportation Committees. It is an honor to serve on such prestigious committees, and I am confident we will pass meaningful legislation this session.
This Thursday Governor Kemp gave his first annual State of the State address. Among the topics he discussed were job creation, school safety, the impacts of Hurricane Michael, corrections reform and health care.
Governor Kemp announced a $3,000 raise for all public school teachers as well as the creation of a task force to address gang presence in Georgia.
I am looking forward to working with the governor to see his goals come to fruition, keeping Georgia as a desirable location not only for economic prosperity, but also as a safe, family-oriented state.
It remains a pleasure to serve you, the constituents of the 25th Senate District. The next few months will include a now 36-day legislating marathon with many bills and resolutions being vetted and voted on. If you have any questions about any of these issues or anything going on in the district, do not hesitate to reach out to my staff and me. We are always here to help.
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Sen. Burt Jones represents the 25th Senate District which includes Baldwin, Butts, Greene, Jasper, Morgan and Putnam counties and portions of Bibb, Jones and Walton counties. He may be reached at 404.656.0082 or via email at burt.jones@senate.ga.gov.