Speaker of the House Jon Burns (R-Newington) addresses the crowd of thousands at the annual Georgia Chamber of Commerce Eggs & Issues breakfast at the Georgia World Congress Center on Tuesday.
Business and community leaders from across the state made their annual pilgrimage to Atlanta on Tuesday morning for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues breakfast at the Georgia World Congress Center. Although the weather was a bit colder than the chamber of commerce-types might like, all attending were warmed by plentiful coffee, Chick-fil-A biscuits, and sunny outlooks for the legislative session. Governor Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, and Speaker of the House Jon Burns each addressed the crowd of thousands, promoting legislative agendas aimed unabashedly at keeping Georgia the “No. 1 State to Do Business.” All the details on their remarks in this #GoldDomeReport.
Lawmakers got a late start to Legislative Day 2 following Eggs & Issues and quickly dispensed with procedural tasks before adjourning for the day. While we still await committee and leadership assignments from the House, the Senate has a fresh crop of committee chairpersons announced yesterday. A complete list is included inside.
In this Report:
- State Leaders Outline Legislative Plans at Eggs & Issues
- Lt. Governor Announces New Senate Committee Chairs
- New Legislation
- What’s Next
State Leaders Outline Legislative Plans at Eggs & Issues
Before a crowd of thousands of business and community leaders from across the state, the “big three” of Georgia’s state government took the stage to outline their legislative plans for the year as dawn broke on Tuesday.
Speaker of the House Jon Burns spoke first with a comprehensive overview of his priorities for the House. First, Speaker Burns announced the House would take “immediate action” to distribute funds and address the lingering effects of Hurricane Helene across Georgia. He called on legislators and leaders to act quickly in disbursing federal funds appropriated for Georgia and ensure aid reaches those most in need.
Second, Burns turned to education, noting there is “no more important issue” for the House than making sure every student receives the best education possible in a safe and secure learning environment. To that end, he called for legislation to improve information sharing among school districts and authorities and access to mental health care for every student. Burns renewed his commitment to take “whatever steps necessary” to bolster the state’s literacy rates and vowed to protect the integrity of girls’ sports as “simply a fairness issue.”
Burns also reiterated his support for improving access to quality and affordable healthcare, committing to support Governor Kemp’s Pathways program, focusing on training and attracting medical professionals to the state, increasing home visiting services, and supporting rural obstetrics services. He also vowed to pass legislation protecting IVF for the thousands of Georgia families who seek it each year.
Speaker Burns concluded his remarks by noting his continued commitment to public safety, particularly through support of Governor Kemp’s corrections package, and economic development through tax rebates, income tax rate reductions, and lawsuit reform to “return balance to courtrooms and stability to insurance markets”.
Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones addressed the crowd through a fireside chat with Kia Georgia President and CEO Stuart Countess. Jones described his focus on initiatives that “lessen costs on businesses and regulation as well”. He highlighted his plan to promote a child tax credit to help mitigate the cost of childcare for working Georgians and expressed support for continued investment in infrastructure. Jones also noted the need for lawsuit reform to address the rising cost of insurance in Georgia but committed to having “all the people” at the table to hash out the issue.
Governor Kemp began his remarks by touting Georgia’s growth during his tenure, amounting to 193,000 new jobs in the state since 2019. While he acknowledged Georgia’s recognition as the "No.1 State to Do Business," Kemp also called for Georgia to become the top state for talent. He highlighted prior work to increase the alignment of education pathways to high-demand career fields and the impact of the Georgia MATCH program on driving enrollment growth in the University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia. Kemp announced his forthcoming Top State for Talent Act, an omnibus bill incorporating Georgia MATCH in graduation planning, increasing articulation agreements, and providing for return on investment analyses of educational programs.
Kemp also reiterated his support for efforts to increase rural workforce housing and infrastructure. He highlighted his budget proposals that will include $530 million for freight infrastructure across the state and $250 million for the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority loan fund used by local governments to complete water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
Finally, the governor announced lawsuit reform as his “top legislative priority” for 2025. Noting that Georgia needs “a legal environment balanced with our neighbors”, Kemp promised a “robust legislative package” on the topic that will be announced in the coming days.
Lt. Governor Announces New Senate Committee Chairs
Late Monday, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones announced the State Senators who will chair the chamber’s various committees during the 2025-2026 Legislative Session. While many chairpersons remained the same as the last session, several committees are welcoming new leaders. The complete list for the Lt. Governor’s Office is below with new chairmen identified in bold font:
- Sen. Russ Goodman (R – 8) will serve as chair of the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee.
- Sen. Blake Tillery (R – 19) will serve as chair of the Appropriations Committee.
- Sen. Carden Summers (R – 13) will serve as chair of the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee.
- Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R – 32) will serve as chair of the Children and Families Committee.
- Sen. Brandon Beach (R – 21) will serve as chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
- Sen. Billy Hickman (R – 4) will serve as chair of the Education and Youth Committee.
- Sen. Sam Watson (R – 11) will serve as chair of the Ethics Committee.
- Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R – 52) will serve as chair of the Finance Committee.
- Sen. Marty Harbin (R – 16) will serve as chair of the Government Oversight Committee.
- Sen. Ben Watson (R – 1) will serve as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.
- Sen. Max Burns (R – 23) will serve as chair of the Higher Education Committee.
- Sen. Larry Walker (R – 20) will serve as chair of the Insurance and Labor Committee.
- Sen. Colton Moore (R – 53) will serve as chair of the Interstate Cooperation Committee.
- Sen. Brian Strickland (R - 42) will serve as chair of the Judiciary Committee.
- Sen. Lee Anderson (R – 24) will serve as chair of the Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
- Sen. John Albers (R – 56) will serve as chair of the Public Safety Committee.
- Sen. Mike Hodges (R - 3) will serve as chair of the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee.
- Sen. Bill Cowsert (R – 46) will serve as chair of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.
- Sen. Rick Williams (R – 25) will serve as chair of the Retirement Committee.
- Sen. Matt Brass (R – 6) will serve as chair of the Rules Committee.
- Sen. Ed Setzler (R - 37) will serve as chair of the Science and Technology Committee.
- Sen. Ed Harbison (D - 15) will serve as chair of the State Institutions and Property Committee.
- Sen. Clint Dixon (R – 45) will serve as chair of the State and Local Governmental Operations Committee.
- Sen. Greg Dolezal (R - 27) will serve as chair of the Transportation Committee.
- Sen. Donzella James (D – 28) will serve as chair of the Urban Affairs Committee.
- Sen. Chuck Payne (R – 54) will serve as chair of the Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security Committee.
New Legislation
The following new legislation of interest has been introduced in the House:
The following new legislation of interest has been introduced in the Senate:
