Volume I | January 2020
The Capitol Express
Greetings from your Capitol!

On Monday, January 13, 2020, the Georgia House of Representatives convened for the second regular session of the 155th Georgia General Assembly. We met in Legislative Session in the House Chamber Monday through Thursday. On Monday, we set the calendar up to Legislative Day 14 which will be on February 10th. As the week continued, House committees started meeting, Governor Brian Kemp delivered his second annual State of the State address, and we conducted the first votes of this year.
Members of the Senate and House returned to the Capitol after the Martin Luther King Holiday on Tuesday, January 21st of "Budget Week." This is an important week during the legislative session as the General Assembly is constitutionally required to pass a balanced state budget each year. I look forward to working hard with Governor Kemp and state agencies to create a budget to attend to needs of Georgians while watching closely your tax dollars.

As always, the budget, education, transportation, healthcare, and public safety issues will be a focus. Personally, I will focus most directly on matters impacting the daily lives and wallets of my neighbors in North Fulton.

Yours in Service ,
Legislative Week One
State of the State Address
Honored to attend Governor Kemp's second State of the State address on Thursday, January 16th. Governor Kemp's leadership has helped build a stronger Georgia spurring economic growth, addressing the human trafficking crisis facing our state, and ensuring that education remains a top priority.

Gov. Kemp reminded us of the great successes that we have experienced in Georgia recently, including reaching the lowest unemployment rate in the state’s history at 3.3 percent, creating 64,000 new private sector jobs and being named the #1 state to do business for the seventh straight year . Despite these successes, we have much work to do to make our state even stronger. 

I am looking forward to working with the Governor this year to keep Georgia moving forward.
Visiting with Dalton State College, Clayton State University and UGA's President Jere Morehead
As Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, I look forward to working with our members, the University System of Georgia, institutional leaders, students, and you, our Georgia citizens, to improve educational opportunities for Georgians.

Please do not hesitate to call on me if I can be of service -- if you are downtown stop by our office in the State Capitol, Room 417.

Photos: Upper Left, President Margaret Venable and Vallarie Pratt; Upper Right, Speaking to students from Clayton State University; Bottom: UGA President Dr. Jere Morehead.
Working with Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones
to protect our North Fulton County Communities
Jan and I continue to work for you in areas of transportation, education, and public safety to keep our communities safe and a great place to raise our families and call home. Thank you for allowing us to serve!
Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Marting Luther King, Jr.
On Monday, January 20th, we remember and honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King's bravery, determination and commitment to equality transformed our nation, and his leadership will be seen for generations to come. Let Dr. King's life of humility and courage serve as a reminder of how we too can make a difference by helping others.
Remembering Representative Jay Powell
On Monday, our first legislative day, the House took time to honor our dear friend and colleague, Jay Powell, who recently passed away before the 2020 session. Jay served as the Chairman of the House Rules Committee, before that Chairman of House Ways & Means, and before that Chairman of the House Appropriation Subcommittee for Public Safety. My duties led me to work with Jay in all those roles; additionally, we were both former mayors.

Simply put, Jay was one of the best down here, combining strong beliefs with the ability to listen to all sides of an issues and work toward a solution for Georgians. Georgia was better for having Jay Powell serve, and Georgia will miss Jay Powell -- I will miss Jay Powell!