Georgia Legislature kicks off 2021 legislative session

(The Center Square) – Members of the Georgia General Assembly re-elected their leaders Monday during the first day of the legislative session.

House Speaker David Ralston, House Pro Tempore Jan Jones and Senate Pro Tempore Butch Miller were elected to serve another term.

Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, and Jones, R-Milton, have served as speaker and pro tempore since 2010. Miller, R-Gainesville, has held his position since 2017.

“I thank my colleagues in the House for their continued trust and confidence,” Ralston said. “Our government is at its best when it is working for our people. When we address fundamental issues that make people’s lives better.”

Lawmakers plan to hold a joint session next week to work on the state’s multibillion-dollar budget. Ralston said Republican members of the House intend to focus on reforming Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law and election laws, expanding mental health care and the state’s freight network.

New lawmakers were sworn in for seats in both chambers, where Republicans hold a majority. There are 34 Republicans and 22 Democrats in the Senate, and 103 Republicans and 77 Democrats in the House.

Miller called for bipartisan unity during the 40-day legislative session after a tense election cycle that put Georgia’s election process under the microscope and led to a riot at the nation’s Capitol.

“You and I have both witnessed families who have been destroyed by politics,” Miller said. “We both witnessed businesses, marriages and lives that have been destroyed by politics. Let’s be careful that we don’t drink that intoxicating beverage.”

Democratic Leader Sen. Gloria Butler said the new session was an opportunity to stir away from the “distractions” of the election coverage and work together to address Georgians’ economic needs amid the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging across our state,” said Butler, D-Stone Mountain. “With more than 10,000 souls lost and countless lives and families changed forever, it’s our duty to do all that we can to support Georgia’s families, support medical providers, small businesses and schools. … We want to lift people up so that our state can recover. We must not be distracted, any longer.”

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp will give his annual state of the state speech Thursday to outline his budget priorities.

The House also created a new standing committee called the Creative Arts and Entertainment Committee to foster the state’s arts and entertainment industry.

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