On Monday, January 11, 2021, newly elected members of the Georgia General Assembly gathered at the State Capitol for the first day of the 156th Legislative Session. Since Monday marked the first day of the 2021-2022 term, every member of the Georgia House of Representatives took the oath of office and was formally sworn in by Superior Court Chief Judge Brenda Weaver. It is truly an honor to represent the citizens of District 10.
Once sworn in, we promptly got to work electing the leaders who will guide the House through our next two years of public service. After hearing the nominations and with no opposition, Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) and Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones (R-Milton) were both re-elected to their respective positions.
The way we conduct legislative business has changed in many ways due to the threat of COVID-19. This session is no exception. A bipartisan committee, appointed by Speaker Ralston, met last fall to explore solutions to keep House members and staff safe at the Capitol. To that end, many of our committee meetings will have in-person and virtual attendance options. The public can watch live streams of all official House meetings on our website from the safety of their homes.
Additional safety procedures have also been implemented at the State Capitol to allow us to meet in-person during this session. These include a bi-weekly, asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program for House members and staff, as well as guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks.
While things looked a lot different this first week of session, we are committed to serving the citizens of Georgia while keeping the health and well-being of members, staff, and our families at the forefront of our minds.
State of the State
As is customary during the first week of session, Governor Kemp came before the joint legislature and judicial branches to deliver his State of the State address on Thursday, January 14. This annual speech gives our Governor an opportunity to convey his assessment of the current condition of our state and our shared goals for continued progress and success over the next year. A video of Legislative Day 4, which includes Gov. Kemp’s address, can be found here: https://bit.ly/3snKHU9.
During his address, Gov. Kemp reflected on the many storms our state has weathered since the start of the pandemic. He reminded us of the steps that were taken this last year to combat the deadly virus in Georgia, including opening mobile hospital units, implementing a widely available COVID-19 testing program and deploying the Georgia National Guard to assist in response operations.
Through Operation Warp Speed, the state has administered more than 283,000 COVID-19 vaccinations as of Jan. 13.
Gov. Kemp announced his intention to increase support for schools by restoring funding to school systems across our state, fully funding enrollment growth, and holding schools harmless for enrollment reductions. The governor discussed initiatives to support teachers, families with special needs children, and institutions that serve minority students. He revealed his plans to boost access to grants to help improve broadband access across Georgia. This effort is especially critical for new remote learning environments.
Gov. Kemp stated that he will push for legislation to protect human trafficking survivors who seek to change their names and allow victims to seek court action against their traffickers or those who knowingly aided in trafficking.
As the session progresses, I will update you on any related legislation as it makes it through the process.
Before Gov. Kemp closed his address, he highlighted some of his budget recommendations for the Amended Fiscal Year 2020 and Fiscal Year 2021 budgets. These recommendations do not include any new budget cuts for our state agencies and departments, no furloughs or layoffs for state employees, and no increase in state taxes.
‘Budget Week’ and election integrity
My colleagues and I will be busy this week reviewing the Governor’s budget proposals and beginning the state budget process through a series of Joint House and Senate Appropriations Committee hearings, which is commonly referred to as “budget week.”
A major topic of discussion on Capitol Hill this week is election integrity. Speaker Ralston is appointing a Special Committee on Election Integrity to formulate proposed legislation to restore voter confidence in Georgia. This subject is of particular interest to our district. I will keep you updated on developments as available.
Now that the 2021 session is underway, I will be working diligently on behalf of Habersham and White Counties at the Capitol. I hope you will take the opportunity to review updates like this to stay informed on legislative matters that affect our district and state.
The House recently launched its new public website, www.legis.ga.gov/house, where you can track our progress throughout the session. It features a new intuitive layout with a number of tools for you to stay up-to-date on what’s going on at the Capitol. Features include archived committee meetings and an easy to use legislative search function. You can also find links to the official House social media accounts and live streams of next week’s budget hearings on the new homepage.
I welcome you to reach out to me and share your thoughts and opinions as we move through the legislative session. I can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 706-499-7328
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Representative.
Representative Victor Anderson represents District 10, which includes portions of Habersham and White counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves on the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Governmental Affairs, and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.
