Georgia General Assembly 2021 Legislative Outlook
Name:
Georgia General Assembly 2021 Legislative Outlook
Date:
December 9, 2020
Time:
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM EST
Registration:
Register Now
Event Description:
Please join the Council for Quality Growth on December 9, 2020 at 9 a.m. for our virtual Georgia General Assembly 2021 Legislative Outlook featuring key state legislators. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the Council’s 2021 Legislative Agenda and hear from state legislators discussing what to expect as we quickly approach the next Georgia legislative session on January 11, 2021.
Read each legislators full bio below the flyer.
Senator Butch Miller - President Pro Tempore
Senator Butch Miller was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2010 to represent the 49th Senate District, which is comprised of the majority of Hall County.
On Monday, January 8, 2018, Sen. Miller was nominated and elected by his colleagues to server as Senate President Pro Tempore. The Senate President Pro Tempore presides over the Georgia Senate when the President of the Senate is absent and is in charge of managing the administrative duties for the senate.
In addition to his duties as Senate President Pro Tempore, Sen. Miller serves as chairman of the Administrative Affairs Committee and as a member of the Senate Appropriations, Assignments, Banking and Financial Institutions, Ethics, MARTOC, Regulated Industries and Utilities and Rules Committees. He also serves as an Ex-Officio on the Government Oversight Committee. He is also a member of the joint Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee (MARTOC) and the Chairman of Georgia World Congress Center Authority Oversight Committee.
Sen. Miller brings leadership experience to his Senate seat. He is a former chairman of the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association’s board of directors and of the National Automobile Dealers Association 20 Group. He is also past chair of the North Georgia Honda Dealers’ board of directors and the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home board of directors, and a former president of the North Georgia Honda Dealers.
Sen. Miller has served on the American Honda Motor Company National Dealers advisory board, as well as on the boards of Challenged Child and Friends, Hall County Parks and Leisure, Field of Dreams, and the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.
He is an active participant in the community, including the Gainesville Rotary, Meals on Wheels, Relay for Life, Eagle Ranch, Hall County YMCA, Edmondson-Telford Center for Children, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Foundation, United Way, and as a school council board member and partner in education with numerous schools.
Sen. Miller has been honored with several awards and recognitions, including Georgia Automobile Dealers Association Distinguished Director, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Silver Shovel Award, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, Georgia Rotary Four-Way Test Award, Georgia Rotary Student Program Will Watt Fellow, and the North Georgia College and State University Young Alumnus Award.
A Buford native, Sen. Miller joined the team of veteran auto dealer Milton Martin in 1993. In 1997, Sen. Miller and Jim Foote acquired the dealer’s Honda franchise. Under their leadership, Milton Martin Honda has become one of the leading dealerships in Georgia.
Sen. Miller is married to the former Teresa Carey, daughter of Jack and Joyce Carey. She is a graduate of Gainesville High School and the University of Georgia. The Millers were blessed with three sons: Cole, Carey and Charlie. Cole, who suffered from Cerebral Palsy, passed away in 2001. Carey is a graduate of the University of Georgia and UGA Law School. He is married to the former Jessica Young. Charlie is in his final year at Kennesaw State University. Sen. Miller is the son of Mrs. Mac Miller and the late Dr. Cecil L. Miller, who practiced family medicine in Buford for half a century. The Millers attend Lakewood Baptist Church, where Sen. Miller has served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.
Speaker David Ralston - Georgia House of Representatives
David Ralston is the 73rd Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, a position he has held since 2010. He was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002 and represents House District 7, which includes Fannin and Gilmer counties and a portion of Dawson County.
As a member of the House of Representatives, Ralston previously served as Chairman of the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee and Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Prior to serving in the House, Ralston served in the Georgia State Senate from 1992 until 1998 when he won the Republican nomination for Attorney General of Georgia.
He serves as an Executive Committee member of the National Speakers Conference, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Southern Legislative Conference. Born in Ellijay, Ralston is a graduate of Gilmer County High School. He went on to attend Young Harris College and North Georgia College (now the University of North Georgia), where he earned his bachelor’s degree with honors. He later received his law degree from the University Of Georgia. Aside from his legislative duties, Ralston is an attorney in Blue Ridge. He is an active member of his community, participating with the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce and the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association.
Representative Terry England - Chairman, Appropriations
Representative Terry England has spent his entire working life as a farmer and agribusinessman. Elected into the Georgia House of Representatives in 2004, he currently serves as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and co-chair of the Agricultural Education Advisory Commission. He also serves on the following committees in the House: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs; Education; Natural Resources & Environment; Industry and Labor; as well as Ways & Means (ex-officio). In the General Assembly, he serves on the Legislative Services Committee and the Fiscal Affairs Sub Committee. He has served as chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference Agricultural and Rural Development Committee and currently serves on the Executive Committee of that organization. He currently serves at the pleasure of the residents of the 116th House District. Rep. England has been married to the former Cindy Casper of Winder for over 30 years. Both are active in the Auburn First Baptist Church, where Terry serves as a deacon and Cindy serves as CFO and works in the nursery.
Senator Brandon Beach - Chairman, Transportation
State Senator Brandon Beach, a Republican, was elected to the Senate in 2013. He represents District 21 which includes portions of Cherokee and Fulton counties.
Senator Beach is the Chairman of the Transportation Committee. He is also a member of the Economic Development, Higher Education and Science and Technology committees.
Senator Beach currently serves as the President and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, leading the fourth largest chamber in the metro area. Sen. Beach has played an integral role in helping North Fulton grow and pros-per in his 24-plus years in Atlanta. During his tenure with the Chamber of Commerce, membership of top level executives and CEO’s (Chairman’s Circle) increased by 60 percent, and commerce retention developed from 67 to 82 percent annually.
Senator Beach served as the Chairman of the Public Private Partnership Committee (P3 Committee). Under his leadership the P3 Committee was able to acquire key local transportation projects approved for Cherokee and North Fulton. Sen. Beach was elected to the Board of the GDOT by state legislators from the 6th Congressional District in 2008.
In 2001, Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Sen. Beach to the board of Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). In 2008, he was selected to chair one of GRTA’s most important committees--The Land Development Committee. In this role, Sen. Beach is responsible for leading a review of every significant development brought be-fore the 16-county area that GRTA serves.
Closer to home, Senator Beach is the President, CEO, and one of the founders of the North Fulton Community Improvement District (CID). Under his leadership, the North Fulton CID has invested more than $2 million to help bring more than $30 million in new infrastructure for the District area.
Senator Beach is a member of numerous community boards including the Regional Business Coalition, Grady Hospital Board of Visitors, the Greater Metro Atlanta American Heart Association, the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Encore Park and the Historic Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Senator Beach received an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Business Administration degree from Centenary College. He is also a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute and a former member of the Alpharetta City Council and the Alpharetta Planning and Zoning Commission. He and his wife, Shuntel, have two children and have lived in Alpharetta for the past 24 years.
Representative Ron Stephens - Chairman, Economic Development & Tourism
State Representative Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) represents the 164th District in the Georgia House of Representatives, where he has served for 22 years. Rep. Stephens is the chairman of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee. He is also a member of the Appropriations, Rules and Ways and Means committees. On May 24, 2013, former Governor Nathan Deal appointed Rep. Stephens to the Georgia Tourism Foundation.
Rep. Stephens is a graduate of Armstrong State & Mercer University with a degree in Pharmacy. He and his wife, Janice, have two daughters, Karen and Ashlin, two grandsons, Walker Reese and James "Beau" William Dukes, IV, and one granddaughter, Ivey Carolina. The Stephens’ are members of Richmond Hill Baptist Church. Rep. Stephens has spent over 38 years as a pharmacist. Before being elected to the House, Rep. Stephens earned a seat as a city councilman in Garden City. Proven to be a consensus builder and a member who can reach across party lines, Rep. Stephens was previously selected as the vice-chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and as a member of the Economic Development subcommittee, under a democratic majority and leadership.
Rep. Stephens was selected as the chair of the Economic Development & Tourism Committee because of his experience of 17 years in the General Assembly. Rep. Stephens is passionate about protecting and strengthening Georgia's tourism business. He has served on the Appropriations Committee for over 20 years. Rep. Stephens is the co-author of the first floating homestead exemption in Georgia now applying in more than 50 taxing districts in the state which effectively freezes property taxes for the homeowner, and today, House Bill 350 is known as the “Stephens-Day Bill.” He also served and was pioneer on the original tourism study committee that led to the formation of the current Economic Development & Tourism Committee, which earned him the Leadership Award for efforts to bring non-traditional tourism industries over to the tourism side.
Read each legislators full bio below the flyer.
Senator Butch Miller - President Pro Tempore
Senator Butch Miller was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2010 to represent the 49th Senate District, which is comprised of the majority of Hall County.On Monday, January 8, 2018, Sen. Miller was nominated and elected by his colleagues to server as Senate President Pro Tempore. The Senate President Pro Tempore presides over the Georgia Senate when the President of the Senate is absent and is in charge of managing the administrative duties for the senate.
In addition to his duties as Senate President Pro Tempore, Sen. Miller serves as chairman of the Administrative Affairs Committee and as a member of the Senate Appropriations, Assignments, Banking and Financial Institutions, Ethics, MARTOC, Regulated Industries and Utilities and Rules Committees. He also serves as an Ex-Officio on the Government Oversight Committee. He is also a member of the joint Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee (MARTOC) and the Chairman of Georgia World Congress Center Authority Oversight Committee.
Sen. Miller brings leadership experience to his Senate seat. He is a former chairman of the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association’s board of directors and of the National Automobile Dealers Association 20 Group. He is also past chair of the North Georgia Honda Dealers’ board of directors and the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home board of directors, and a former president of the North Georgia Honda Dealers.
Sen. Miller has served on the American Honda Motor Company National Dealers advisory board, as well as on the boards of Challenged Child and Friends, Hall County Parks and Leisure, Field of Dreams, and the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.
He is an active participant in the community, including the Gainesville Rotary, Meals on Wheels, Relay for Life, Eagle Ranch, Hall County YMCA, Edmondson-Telford Center for Children, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Foundation, United Way, and as a school council board member and partner in education with numerous schools.
Sen. Miller has been honored with several awards and recognitions, including Georgia Automobile Dealers Association Distinguished Director, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Silver Shovel Award, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, Georgia Rotary Four-Way Test Award, Georgia Rotary Student Program Will Watt Fellow, and the North Georgia College and State University Young Alumnus Award.
A Buford native, Sen. Miller joined the team of veteran auto dealer Milton Martin in 1993. In 1997, Sen. Miller and Jim Foote acquired the dealer’s Honda franchise. Under their leadership, Milton Martin Honda has become one of the leading dealerships in Georgia.
Sen. Miller is married to the former Teresa Carey, daughter of Jack and Joyce Carey. She is a graduate of Gainesville High School and the University of Georgia. The Millers were blessed with three sons: Cole, Carey and Charlie. Cole, who suffered from Cerebral Palsy, passed away in 2001. Carey is a graduate of the University of Georgia and UGA Law School. He is married to the former Jessica Young. Charlie is in his final year at Kennesaw State University. Sen. Miller is the son of Mrs. Mac Miller and the late Dr. Cecil L. Miller, who practiced family medicine in Buford for half a century. The Millers attend Lakewood Baptist Church, where Sen. Miller has served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher.
Speaker David Ralston - Georgia House of Representatives
David Ralston is the 73rd Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, a position he has held since 2010. He was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002 and represents House District 7, which includes Fannin and Gilmer counties and a portion of Dawson County.As a member of the House of Representatives, Ralston previously served as Chairman of the Judiciary Non-Civil Committee and Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Prior to serving in the House, Ralston served in the Georgia State Senate from 1992 until 1998 when he won the Republican nomination for Attorney General of Georgia.
He serves as an Executive Committee member of the National Speakers Conference, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Southern Legislative Conference. Born in Ellijay, Ralston is a graduate of Gilmer County High School. He went on to attend Young Harris College and North Georgia College (now the University of North Georgia), where he earned his bachelor’s degree with honors. He later received his law degree from the University Of Georgia. Aside from his legislative duties, Ralston is an attorney in Blue Ridge. He is an active member of his community, participating with the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce and the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association.
Representative Terry England - Chairman, Appropriations
Representative Terry England has spent his entire working life as a farmer and agribusinessman. Elected into the Georgia House of Representatives in 2004, he currently serves as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and co-chair of the Agricultural Education Advisory Commission. He also serves on the following committees in the House: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs; Education; Natural Resources & Environment; Industry and Labor; as well as Ways & Means (ex-officio). In the General Assembly, he serves on the Legislative Services Committee and the Fiscal Affairs Sub Committee. He has served as chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference Agricultural and Rural Development Committee and currently serves on the Executive Committee of that organization. He currently serves at the pleasure of the residents of the 116th House District. Rep. England has been married to the former Cindy Casper of Winder for over 30 years. Both are active in the Auburn First Baptist Church, where Terry serves as a deacon and Cindy serves as CFO and works in the nursery.Senator Brandon Beach - Chairman, Transportation
State Senator Brandon Beach, a Republican, was elected to the Senate in 2013. He represents District 21 which includes portions of Cherokee and Fulton counties.Senator Beach is the Chairman of the Transportation Committee. He is also a member of the Economic Development, Higher Education and Science and Technology committees.
Senator Beach currently serves as the President and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, leading the fourth largest chamber in the metro area. Sen. Beach has played an integral role in helping North Fulton grow and pros-per in his 24-plus years in Atlanta. During his tenure with the Chamber of Commerce, membership of top level executives and CEO’s (Chairman’s Circle) increased by 60 percent, and commerce retention developed from 67 to 82 percent annually.
Senator Beach served as the Chairman of the Public Private Partnership Committee (P3 Committee). Under his leadership the P3 Committee was able to acquire key local transportation projects approved for Cherokee and North Fulton. Sen. Beach was elected to the Board of the GDOT by state legislators from the 6th Congressional District in 2008.
In 2001, Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Sen. Beach to the board of Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). In 2008, he was selected to chair one of GRTA’s most important committees--The Land Development Committee. In this role, Sen. Beach is responsible for leading a review of every significant development brought be-fore the 16-county area that GRTA serves.
Closer to home, Senator Beach is the President, CEO, and one of the founders of the North Fulton Community Improvement District (CID). Under his leadership, the North Fulton CID has invested more than $2 million to help bring more than $30 million in new infrastructure for the District area.
Senator Beach is a member of numerous community boards including the Regional Business Coalition, Grady Hospital Board of Visitors, the Greater Metro Atlanta American Heart Association, the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, Encore Park and the Historic Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Senator Beach received an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a Masters in Business Administration degree from Centenary College. He is also a graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute and a former member of the Alpharetta City Council and the Alpharetta Planning and Zoning Commission. He and his wife, Shuntel, have two children and have lived in Alpharetta for the past 24 years.
Representative Ron Stephens - Chairman, Economic Development & Tourism
State Representative Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) represents the 164th District in the Georgia House of Representatives, where he has served for 22 years. Rep. Stephens is the chairman of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee. He is also a member of the Appropriations, Rules and Ways and Means committees. On May 24, 2013, former Governor Nathan Deal appointed Rep. Stephens to the Georgia Tourism Foundation.Rep. Stephens is a graduate of Armstrong State & Mercer University with a degree in Pharmacy. He and his wife, Janice, have two daughters, Karen and Ashlin, two grandsons, Walker Reese and James "Beau" William Dukes, IV, and one granddaughter, Ivey Carolina. The Stephens’ are members of Richmond Hill Baptist Church. Rep. Stephens has spent over 38 years as a pharmacist. Before being elected to the House, Rep. Stephens earned a seat as a city councilman in Garden City. Proven to be a consensus builder and a member who can reach across party lines, Rep. Stephens was previously selected as the vice-chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and as a member of the Economic Development subcommittee, under a democratic majority and leadership.
Rep. Stephens was selected as the chair of the Economic Development & Tourism Committee because of his experience of 17 years in the General Assembly. Rep. Stephens is passionate about protecting and strengthening Georgia's tourism business. He has served on the Appropriations Committee for over 20 years. Rep. Stephens is the co-author of the first floating homestead exemption in Georgia now applying in more than 50 taxing districts in the state which effectively freezes property taxes for the homeowner, and today, House Bill 350 is known as the “Stephens-Day Bill.” He also served and was pioneer on the original tourism study committee that led to the formation of the current Economic Development & Tourism Committee, which earned him the Leadership Award for efforts to bring non-traditional tourism industries over to the tourism side.
- 2017 Armstrong University Hero
- 2017 Ex-Officio Rural Development Council
- 2017 Appointed to Southern Growth Policies Board
- 2016 Distinguished Alumni, Armstrong State University
- 2016 J.C. Lewis Outstanding Republican of the Year
- 2015 Bowl of Hygeia Award for Outstanding Practicing Pharmacist
- 2015 Georgia Hospitality Champion
- 2015 GWC Clean Water Champion
- 2015 Georgia Arts Network Advocate Award
- 2013 Legislator of the Year from the Georgia Rural Health Association
- 2012 The Charitable Care Network Chairman's Award
- 2012 The Shooting Star Award, from Georgia Production Partnership
- 2008 Legislator of the Year by the Governor's Tourism Conference
- 2008 Star of Life Legislative Award Georgia Emergency Medical Services
- 2007 Legislator of the Year Award GHPA ( Public Health Departments)
- 2006 Herb & Franklin Traub Visionary Award, Savannah Area Tourism Leadership Council
- 2006 Representative of the Year Award from the Georgia Retail Association
- 2005 Hospital Association Legislator of the Year
- 2004 Champion of Georgia Cities Award by Georgia Municipal Association
- 2004 Legislator of the Year Award Georgia Pharmacy Association
- 2003 State Tourism Champion of the Year Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia
- 2002 Champion of Georgia Cities Award by Georgia Municipal Association
- 2002 Legislator of the Year Award Association County Commissioners of Georgia
- 1999 Senior Citizen's Inc. Legislator of the Year Award Carl Henderson Award from Mercer University
