2023 Session: Week 1 Update

The time has finally arrived! The Georgia General Assembly convened for the 157th Legislative Session last Monday, January 9. The first day of session began with members of the House of Representatives taking the oath of office. We had the honor of being sworn in by Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Boggs. I was sworn in with my right hand on two Bibles that hold great meaning to me. The first was a Bible my husband and I gave my mother in 2000, which she still carries to church with her. The second was a New Testament that my father carried in his pocket every day for three and a half years while active in the United States Marine Corps in the 1950s.

Once sworn in, we immediately moved on to the election of the Speaker of the House and Speaker Pro Tempore, who will lead our chamber over the next two years. Jon Burns (R-Newington) was elected to serve as the 75th Speaker of the House by acclamation. He will determine the leadership and membership of House committees, assign legislation to the appropriate committees, call legislation for debate on the House floor, and enforce the rules of the House. Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones (R-Milton) was re-elected by acclamation.

Also on Monday, the House and Senate voted to adopt an Adjournment Resolution to set our calendar for this legislative session. Each session lasts 40 nonconsecutive days, and this year’s calendar sets our final day of session for Wednesday, March 29. We have an aggressive schedule this year and much work to accomplish before session ends this spring.

Monday night, most of us probably watched Georgia dominate TCU. I cannot pass up this opportunity to congratulate my alma mater on winning their second National Championship title in a row. They represented Georgia well. Go Dawgs!

Last Thursday, the House and Senate convened for a joint legislative session for the inauguration of Governor Brian Kemp for his second term in office. Citizens from across the state gathered as he took the oath of office at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta. In his inaugural address, Governor Kemp discussed his goals for his next term in office and reflected on the recent accomplishments of our state. He remarked that we emerged from the global pandemic stronger than ever due to the resilience of our citizens and the leadership of our elected officials. During his address, the governor also announced his goals to partner with us in the General Assembly this session to create better schools, safer streets, good paying jobs, and greater economic opportunities.

I will be working diligently on behalf of our entire district now that the 2023 legislative session is officially underway. I hope you will take the opportunity to review updates like this throughout the session to stay informed on legislative matters that may affect you, your family, and our community. The House website has a number of publicly available resources to help you stay up-to-date on the work we are doing at your state Capitol. You can watch a live stream of the House floor proceedings, view live and archived committee meetings, and review proposed legislation that comes before the House. You may find links to all of these on my website at LeesaHaganforGeorgia.com/constituents.

During this second week of session, we begin our work on one of the most important pieces of legislation of this session: the state budget. The House and Senate Appropriations committees will hear directly from the governor to discuss his recommendations on Tuesday morning. The Appropriations committees will meet all week to discuss budget requests from our state agency heads, and I look forward to sharing updates with you.

As we move throughout the legislative session, please reach out with your thoughts and opinions about legislation. I’d also love for you to visit the Capitol. Your feedback is crucial to developing sound policies for our state, and I look forward to discussing my legislative goals for this session with you. I can be reached at leesa.hagan@house.ga.gov. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Representative for the 2023-2024 legislative term.

By Leesa Hagan R-Vidalia (District 156, Georgia House of Representatives)