With many hot topic issues in our midst that will shape the future of Georgia for decades, I want to stress the importance of your participation in the 2020 census. — Rep. John LaHood
The New Year is upon us and so is the 2020 legislative session. There is lots of activity going on among members of the General Assembly as we returned to Georgia’s Capitol on January 13, 2020, marking the second session of the two-year term. Given the upcoming election cycle, with primary’s taking place in May, we expect a quick but productive 40 legislative days. The two-year session cycle also means that any bills presented during the 2019 session are still available for passage during the 2020 session. The second year of any term is carried out with a greater sense of urgency as we will closely monitor newly introduced legislation, while tracking last year’s bills which did not receive a final floor vote before the day 40 deadline.
Although our General Assembly is considered a “part-time” citizen legislature, I remained busy throughout the off-session season participating in numerous legislative briefings, attending a variety of events highlighting groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings, and other important milestones in our region, as well as traveling my district hearing constituent concerns. In addition to serving on several key House committees including Health & Human Services, Human Relations & Aging, and Game, Fish, & Parks, I had the privilege of chairing the study committee on Innovative Financial Options for Senior Living over the summer and fall of 2019. I was honored to be named the 2019 Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Council on Aging and the Georgia Senior Living Association for chairing this study committee and sponsoring other key issues for seniors. Reports from my study committee and many others were required to be submitted prior to the start of the 2020 session and are expected to result in the introduction of many bills related to healthcare, education, rural initiatives as well as ongoing discussions regarding our upcoming fiscal year budget. Georgia law also allows us to pre-file bills for the upcoming session the first week of November. If you are interested in checking out what bills were pre-filed, I encourage you to do so at the Georgia General Assembly website.
With many hot topic issues in our midst that will shape the future of Georgia for decades, I want to stress the importance of your participation in the 2020 census. Our state’s population is experiencing robust growth, but disproportionately in metro-Atlanta. Strong census participation in South Georgia is critical for ensuring our federal and state resources as well as congressional and state representation is not diluted. Gov. Brian Kemp has launched Georgia’s 2020 Census campaign to emphasize that Every. One. Counts.—led by the state’s Complete Count Committee. I encourage you to visit www.census.georgia.gov to learn more about this important initiative and make plans to participate.
My first objective is to ensure I am representing our South Georgia views appropriately and the only way to do so is by hearing from you. Thank you for allowing me the honor and pleasure of serving you under the Gold Dome. I look forward to another productive session in Atlanta and I wish each of you many this year.
Rep. John LaHood, District 175
john.lahood@house.ga.gov