2023 Legislative Preview
| Jurisdiction | Georgia,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 28 No. 3 Pg. 0032 |
| Pages | 0032 |
| Publication year | 2022 |
Feature
BY CHRISTINE BUTCHER HAYES AND BROOKE TURNER
With the Nov. 8 midterm election and the Dec. 6 runoff behind us, Georgians will get to enjoy the end of college football season free from political ads. The season will wrap up on Jan. 9, 2023, just as the General Assembly kicks off the first year of the two-year legislative biennium. The Capitol will be buzzing as newly elected legislators take the oath of office and eagerly await committee assignments while returning legislators, staffers and lobbyists prepare for another legislative session.
Following the November election, Republicans maintain control of both chambers of the General Assembly. The House of Representatives will be divided 101 Republicans to 79 Democrats, while the Senate will be divided 33 Republicans to 23 Democrats. The 2023 session will bring a wave of new faces, with 45 freshmen House members and 10 freshmen senators. Of the 55 new legislators, 12 are lawyers. This makes for a total of 25 lawyers in the House and nine in the Senate.
During the first week of the legislative session, Gov. Brian Kemp will be inaugurated into his second term in office. Lt. Gov.-Elect Burt Jones will take the helm in the Senate, with Sen. John Kennedy (R-Macon) serving as Senate President Pro Tempore, the second-highest leadership position in that chamber. The House will be under the new leadership of Speaker-Elect Jon Burns (R-Newing-ton) following 12 years of guidance by the steady hand of House Speaker David Ralston. Ralston, a self-described "country lawyer"ﾝ from Blue Ridge, announced in early November that he would not seek another term as House Speaker due to a health condition. He passed away on Nov. 16. Ralston will be fondly remembered for his pragmatic and bipartisan leadership style, where he sought to build consensus among House members.
As always, the state budget will be top of mind during the legislative session. Gov. Kemp's recommendations are expected to build on many of the budget priorities from his first term, including prioritized funding for education and public safety. The governor has pledged
CONGRATULATIONS, NEWLY ELECTED LAWYER-LEGISLATORS
Rep. Omari Crawford (D-Decatur)
Rep. Terry Cummings (D-Mableton)
Rep. Saira Draper (D-Atlanta)
Rep. Soo Hong (R-Lawrenceville)
Rep. Tanya Miller (D-Atlanta)
Rep. Esther Panitch (D-Atlan...
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