New legislative session begins with leadership elections
The Georgia House of Representatives set an example of efficiency its congressional counterpart could only dream of emulating on the first day of the new session. Lawmakers elected House Majority Leader Jon Burns, R-Newington, to move up to speaker of the House in just a single ballot and by acclamation.
Burns succeeds the late Speaker David Ralston, RBlue Ridge, who died in November at age 68 following an extended illness.
“This is a very bittersweet moment,” Burns told his House colleagues following the vote on Monday, Jan. 9. “The passing of Speaker David Ralston has left a hole in the heart of this House.”
House members also reelected Rep. Jan Jones, R-Milton, to continue as speaker pro tempore, the secondin-command position she was first elected to in
2010. Jones took the reins temporarily as speaker after Ralston’s death, becoming the first female House speaker in Georgia history.
Burns was elected to the House in 2004. His Republican colleagues elected him majority leader in 2015.
It took the Georgia House less than an hour to get its leadership team in place, in sharp contrast with the U.S. House of Representatives, where the new Republican majority took four days and 15 ballots last week to choose U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as House speaker.
Both Burns and Jones thanked their colleagues for their support and vowed to work with lawmakers from both parties to move the state forward.
“This House will continue to lead,” Burns said. “It will continue to be independent. … It will continue to champion the policies that make Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”
On the Senate, Sen. John Kennedy, R-Macon, was unanimously elected Senate president pro tempore, that chamber’s second-highest leadership position. Newly elected Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones did not preside over the Senate as he will during the remainder of the session since he was not sworn into office until Thursday, Jan. 12.
“My office will be here to serve this entire chamber … whether Republican or Democrat,” Kennedy told his fellow senators. “We may not agree on all issues … but you will be treated respectfully.”
Lawmakers in both legislative chambers also voted unanimously Monday to set the schedule for the entire 40-day session. The House and Senate took off Tuesday to allow members to return from the college football championship game in Los Angeles featuring the Georgia Bulldogs.
Crossover Day, the deadline for bills to clear at least one legislative chamber, will take place on March 6. “Sine Die,” the final day of the session, will take place on March 29.
Polk County’s legislative delegation is made up of Sen. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas and House Rep. Trey Kelley of Cedartown. Both are Republicans.