The Georgia General Assembly began the first day of the 2025 legislative session on Monday, January 13, 2025. It is the beginning of Georgia’s 158th biennium. To begin the session, all 180 House members took the Oath of Office. Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Bogg administered the oath in the House Chamber. Following the swearing-in, we immediately got down to business by electing the Speaker of the House and Speaker Pro Tempore. Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) was re-elected as the 75th Speaker of the House, and Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones (R-Milton) was also re-elected to her respective position. Both are experienced leaders and have great records for bringing needed legislation for all Georgians.

After the election of the Speaker and Speaker Pro Tempore, we observed a moment of silence to honor the life and legacy of Former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29, 2024, in Plains, Georgia. He was 39th President of the United States and Georgia’s 76th Governor—the only Georgian elected president. This moment of reflection symbolized the House’s collective gratitude for his life and his contributions to Georgia and our nation.

Following the ceremonial duties, the House went to work establishing the House Rules and we voted to adopt an Adjournment Resolution. The Resolution establishes the legislative calendar for the 2025 legislative session. In accordance with the State Constitution, the General Assembly is required to be in session for 40 non-consecutive legislative days. This year Senate Resolution 6, outlines the legislative calendar, with the final day of session, scheduled for Friday, April 4, 2025. With the calendar set, we are ready to move forward and get to work to address the important issues facing Georgians this legislative session.

On Thursday, members of both the House and Senate gathered for a joint session in the House Chamber to hear Governor Brian Kemp deliver his annual State of the State Address. This address gave the governor the opportunity to present his assessment of the state’s current condition and outline his legislative priorities for the year ahead. He spoke about increasing funding for school safety and security, the need for tort reform legislation, expanding access to healthcare in rural areas and increased support for Georgia’s Department of Corrections.

Governor Kemp began his State of the State address by reflecting on the impact and destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Helene last September. Georgia Power reported that Hurricane Helene was the worst storm in Georgia’s history, resulting in 34 Georgians who lost their lives. The governor went on to share some of the heroic stories of first responders and neighbors who risked their lives to help those in need. In response to this devastation, the state prioritized funding for hard-hit areas and repurposed $100 million to the Georgia Development Authority to support the farming and timber industries. Although Georgians are still grieving and rebuilding from Helene, the legislature remains focused on prioritizing support for the hardest hit regions and communities of our resilient state.

In his address, Gov. Kemp also emphasized that while communities directly affected by Hurricane Helene still need substantial disaster relief, all Georgians, regardless of location, need long-term solutions to offset rising costs and inflation. He noted that Georgia families have struggled in recent years, but despite record inflation, Georgia achieved success through tax cuts, gas tax suspensions, a 2024 homeowner tax relief grant and an income tax cut that saved taxpayers more than $7.6 billion. Building on previous tax cuts, he proposed an additional reduction in the state income tax rate from 5.39 percent to 5.19 percent during his address. This move would save Georgians an expected $7.5 billion over the next decade.

Also in his address, Gov. Kemp underscored his administration’s ongoing efforts to address rising insurance costs, particularly for small businesses, and the need for tort reform. He highlighted the passage of House Bill 1114, the Data Analysis for Tort Reform Act, which was signed into law last summer and enables Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner to gather data and propose reforms that are aimed at stabilizing insurance costs, expanding consumer choices and preventing carriers from leaving Georgia. The governor pointed out that some small businesses have seen their insurance premiums increase by as much as 100%, threatening their operations. To combat this, he announced that one of his top priorities this session is passing comprehensive tort reform legislation designed to limit civil lawsuits.

Lastly, we reflected on the tragic shooting that occurred at Apalachee High School, honoring the victims and their families, as well as the heroes who prevented the incident from becoming an even greater tragedy. Responding Sergeant Chase Boyd, Deputy Brandon King and Sheriff Jud Smith joined us in the gallery during the governor’s address while we applauded their brave actions on that day. We were also joined by several caregivers who provided mental health services in the critical days following the events at Apalachee High School. In response, Gov. Kemp touched on the $294 million that has been allocated to school safety thus far, and his budget proposal includes an additional $159 million to bolster those efforts.

Also, this week, the House Committee on Assignments completed its work and announced committee assignments for each representative. We are excited to announce our appointments. Representative Chas Cannon will serve on the following House committees: Special Committee of Resource Management – Vice Chairman, Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Defense & Veterans Affairs, Information & Audits, Natural Resources & Environment, and Ways & Means. Darlene Taylor will serve on the following committee: Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Appropriations – Chairman of Health Subcommittee, Insurance- Chair the Subcommittee on Life and Health, Public and Community Health, Reapportionment and Redistricting, Rules, Special Committee on Healthcare and Transportation. We will serve for the next two years. 

To end our week, we and our colleagues joined Gov. Kemp, Speaker Burns and Lt. Gov. Jones for a Celebration of Service to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This event was a powerful reminder of Dr. King’s impact on our nation and the ongoing work to advance his vision of equality, justice and service to others. The celebration not only commemorated his achievements but also encouraged all of us to engage in meaningful acts of service to strengthen our communities and uphold the values he fought for.

Next week, we and our legislative colleagues will return to the Capitol to begin the state budget process where we will hear directly from Gov. Kemp and state agency leaders as they present their budget requests to the Joint House and Senate Appropriations Committee, in an event often referred to as “budget week.” The Appropriations committees will continue meeting throughout the week, and we look forward to providing updates on the budget process as it gets underway.

Throughout our time here at the State Capitol, we look forward to continuing to work to support our community and our constituents. To follow along with important updates from the House, please see our House X (Twitter), @GaHouseHub; Instagram, @gahouseofrepresentatives and Facebook accounts for updates, legislative floor proceedings, press releases and more. To watch livestreams and keep apprised of our House committee meetings, please view the House website. You may also reach out to us with any questions and concerns you may have as this legislative session progresses. We can be reached as follows: Rep. Chas Canon, his office is 501-C Coverdell Legislative Office or via email at chas.cannon@house.ga.gov or by phone at: (404) 656-0177. Rep. Darlene Taylor may be reached at her office in the Capital Building 245-B or via email at darlene.taylor@house.ga.gov or by phone at (404) 463-2246.

Thank you for allowing us to serve as your state representative for the 2025-2026 legislative term.