Intro to the Georgia Senate

The best thing about the Georgia Senate is that they truthfully call themselves a "peoples' legislature." The 56 Senators are not professional legislators, but rather earn their living in trades ranging from farming to orthodontics. The modest stipend they receive is not enough to be the motivation for their service, and neither, for most, is the promise of future power. By and large, intentions are noble. We have a Senate of hardworking Georgians, working hard for hardworking Georgians.

Senators are required to be at least 25 years old, a US citizen, a two-year Georgia citizen, and a one-year resident of the district they represent. Presently, ages range from 31 to 78. They serve two-year terms with no term limits (that's pretty typical--only 20 states have term limits for state legislators). The party breakdown is 34 Republicans and 22 Democrats. The three month Legislative Session (usually just called Session) begins in January.

A list of Senate leadership is headed up with the President of the Senate, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams, and Majority Leader Chip Rogers, all Republicans. The real leaders are the committee chairs, since most of the legislative work is done in committees. There are 30 committees, but here are some of the key ones and their chairs:

-Appropriations, Sen. Jack Hill. Holds budget hearings and approves Senate version of the state budget. This is a BIG task, so they have nine subcommittees. Sen. Hill is a very busy man during Session, and works closely with the Senate Budget Office. A grocer by trade, Sen. Hill has been in the Senate since 1990 and is exceedingly likable.

-Education and Youth, Sen. Dan Weber.

-Health and Human Services, Sen. Don Thomas.

-Higher Education, Sen. Seth Harp.

-Rules, Sen. Don Balfour. This committee places bills on the legislative calendar, thereby controlling the flow of legislative proceedings.

-Transportation, Sen. Jeff Mullis.