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How did Georgia General Assembly’s freshmen class of 2023 perform? Better than you might think.
Representatives Matt Reeves (left), Rey Martinez, Scott Hilton, Derek McCollum and Soo Hong pose with Speaker Jon Burns on the first day of the 2023 legislative session. (Credit: Georgia House of Representatives)
A number of guaranteed worker protections became law, along with other significant legislation, this year thanks, in large part, to legislative newcomers such as state Rep. Matt Reeves, a Duluth lawyer, and state Sen. Rick Williams, a funeral home owner and former state representative.
The pair are among the largest freshman class in recent memory in the Georgia General Assembly, the nation’s third largest Legislature, which gained 57 new lawmakers this year. The newest group of senators and representatives introduced 165 pieces of legislation that had statewide impact; 27 of which became law.
Anyone who assaults health care workers on the job now faces up to 20 years in prison. Georgia workers injured on the job can now expect larger worker’s compensation. And workers are also assured two hours off from work to early vote or vote in-person in upcoming primaries and elections.
Reeves’ Safer Hospitals Act was signed into law May 2, less than 24 hours before a mass shooting occurred at a Northside Hospital facility in Midtown Atlanta where a gunman shot five people, killing one of the victims. In addition to stiff penalties, the law enables hospitals to create on-site police forces, similar to those on college campuses. All told, five of the 13 bills Reeves introduced that had statewide impact are now law, the most of any newcomer in the House. Reeves’ attributed those five new laws to “having good, positive House and Senate support on these bills.
“I’m grateful for these bills. I made an effort to really get to know our House leadership and committee leadership and then have plenty of friends in the Senate,” Reeves told State Affairs.
On the Senate side, three of the 10 bills with statewide impact introduced by Williams became law, the most of any freshman senator. In addition to getting time off for voting, Williams pushed through a bill that now makes dogfighting a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) activity.
The sheer size of this year’s freshman class may have been the ace-in-the-hole that helped them flex their legislative muscles and get some pretty significant bills passed, one veteran political observer said.
"When you have a fifth of the Senate and a quarter of the House who are brand new, there may actually be some greater need to have them participating,” Georgia’s dean of political observers Charles Bullock told State Affairs. “So they may end up getting better committee assignments, particularly for Republicans on the Senate side. They may not just get assignments but they’re given committee responsibilities, like being the vice chair of a committee. [But] if you just had one or two, those individuals probably wouldn't get that kind of opportunity.”
New leadership in both the House and Senate also may have helped the newcomers have a greater role in this year’s legislative session, said Bullock, University of Georgia political science professor.
Freshmen senators and representatives were instrumental in drafting and successfully pushing through a wide-range of legislation dealing with greater consumer protection and creation of programs that will ease financial burdens and address the state’s workforce shortage, such as the loan repayment programs for health care workers.
The freshman lawmakers’ legislative hustle led to new laws that should help prevent mishaps for children in pools because parents will now be able to download national swimming safety standards on their computers. And pharmacy technicians will now be able to administer vaccines.
The newcomers also spent the session drafting local legislation for such things as homestead exemptions. There also were commendations and resolutions recognizing events, individuals and group achievements.
For this story, State Affairs focused solely on legislation the freshmen lawmakers introduced that has statewide impact. Also, the reporting does not include bills that failed on their own but were incorporated in larger legislation that passed.
As is par for the course, some newcomers’ efforts to get bills passed were blocked. Freshman Sen. Jason Esteves saw one of his bills glide through the General Assembly only to be vanquished by the governor’s pen. Esteves' bill, which would have required the state’s Employee Benefits Plan Council to create a health savings account, passed both chambers but was vetoed by Gov Kemp. The plan would have cost $300,000 to implement but “would have saved the state potentially millions,” Esteves told State Affairs.
Undaunted, Esteves plans to revive the bill next year.
“This time I’ll ensure that there’s money allocated for it so there’ll be no excuse not to modernize state health benefits,” Esteves said. In any case, he said he “felt good” about his first term as senator.
“I feel like I got some things done.”
Here’s a look at what the new lawmakers in both chambers accomplished during the 2023 legislative session:
| Senators | District | Authored Bills* | Bills that became state law** |
| Shelly Echols, R – Alto | 49 | 2 | SB 120 deals with safe operations of motor carriers, commercial motor vehicles, drivers and safe transportation of hazardous material. |
| Jason Esteves, D – Atlanta | 6 | 9 | None |
| Mike Hodges, R – Brunswick | 3 | 4 | SB 42 allows state officials to assess fines against Georgia businesses that don’t comply with posting printed alerts and phone numbers that come from the GBI, or National Human Trafficking Resource Center. SB 246 creates a loan repayment program for nursing instructors, which will help increase the number of nurses in the state. |
| Nabilah Islam, D – Lawrenceville | 7 | 6 | None |
| Derek Mallow, D – Savannah | 2 | 3 | None |
| Josh McLaurin, D – Sandy Springs | 14 | 4 | SB 115 guarantees anglers have the right to fish on all of Georgia’s navigable streams and waterways. |
| Colton Moore, R – Trenton | 53 | 2 | None |
| Ed Setzler, R – Acworth | 37 | 5 | None |
| Shawn Still, R – Norcross | 48 | 7 | SB 160 changes or extends certain provisions in state employment security such as wages and other administrative assessments. |
| Sam Watson, R – Moultrie | 11 | 2 | None |
| Rick Williams, R – Milledgeville | 25 | 10 | SB 68 includes dogfighting among Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) activities. SB 129 gives workers time off to advance vote or vote in person during primaries and on election day. SB 168 allows chiropractic practices to file a lien on a cause of action in the same way a hospital is able to file a lien under similar circumstances. An amendment later added requires submission of bills to health insurers before a medical lien is filed. |
New senators: 11
Total bills authored by freshmen senators: 54
Total bills authored by freshmen senators that became law: 8
| House of Representatives | District | Authored bills* | Bills that became law** |
| Solomon Adesanya, D-Marietta | 43 | 12 | None |
| Segun Adeyina, D-Grayson | 110 | None | None |
| Michelle Au, D-Johns Creek | 50 | 4 | None |
| Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins | 147 | 3 | HB 538 enacts the Georgia Early Literacy Act, which is intended to improve the quality of early reading instruction. |
| Imani Barnes, D-Tucker | 86 | 3 | None |
| Carter Barrett, R-Cumming | 24 | 5 | None |
| Eric Bell, D-Jonesboro | 75 | None | None |
| Lisa Campbell, D-Kennesaw | 35 | 1 | None |
| Chas Cannon, R- Moultrie | 172 | 1 | HB 545 provides for an Agricultural Commodity Commission for citrus fruits. |
| Brent Cox, R-Dawsonville | 28 | 2 | None |
| Omari Crawford, D-Decatur | 84 | 5 | None |
| Terry Cummings, D-Mableton | 35 | None | None |
| Lauren Daniel, R-Locust Grove | 117 | 5 | HB 175 updates the reference date to federal regulations regarding the safe operation of motor carriers and commercial motor vehicles. It also establishes specialty licenses for Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. |
| Saira Draper, D-Atlanta | 90 | 2 | None |
| Tim Fleming, R-Covington | 114 | 3 | None |
| Lehman Franklin, R-Statesboro | 160 | 3 | HB 302 allows courts to grant protective orders on a permanent basis rather than just temporary, as needed, in stalking cases. HB 480 is a workers’ compensation law that increases the maximum weekly benefits for people injured or disabled due to workplace accidents. It also increases total compensation paid to a surviving spouse or sole dependent of a worker killed on the job. HB 285/SB 240***authorizes Employee’s Retirement Services to invest in alternative investments. |
| Lynn Gladney, D-Augusta | 130 | 2 | None |
| Lydia Glaize, D-Fairburn | 67 | 2 | None |
| Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners | 48 | 9 | HB 219 provides venue for offense of money laundering. HB 402 provides water safety information for parents with children under the age of 18 as well as those over 18. HB 453 repeals requirement that ambulance services pay annual license fee. |
| Soo Hong, R-Lawrenceville | 103 | 2 | HB 128 provides for representation of minority business enterprises, women and veteran-owned businesses in procurement of state contracts. HB 129 provides temporary assistance to pregnant women. |
| Mitchell Horner, R-Ringgold | 3 | 3 | None |
| Karlton Howard, D-Augusta | 129 | None | None |
| David Huddleston, R-Roopville | 72 | 2 | None |
| Derrick Jackson, D-Tyrone | 68 | None | None |
| Karen Lupton, D-Chamblee | 83 | 1 | None |
| Reynaldo “Rey” Martinez | 111 | 2 | None |
| Derrick McCollum, R-Chestnut Mtn | 30 | 4 | None |
| Tanya Miller, D-Atlanta | 62 | 1 | None |
| Farooq Mughal, D-Dacula | 105 | None | None |
| Kimberly New, R-Villa Rica | 64 | 2 | HB 165 says public disclosure is not required relative to inspection of public records. The law will now include not releasing information such as the location of an historic resource if the department decides the disclosure would result in risk, harm or destruction of that resource. |
| Gabe Okoye, D-Lawrenceville | 102 | None | None |
| Phil Olaleye, D-Atlanta | 59 | 1 | None |
| Esther Panitch, D-Sandy Springs | 51 | None | None |
| Holt Persinger, R-Winder | 119 | None | None |
| Tremaine Teddy Reese, D-Columbus | 140 | 1 | None |
| Matt Reeves, R-Duluth | 99 | 13 | HB 182 revises provisions curing defective deeds and other instruments. HB 383 creates the Safer Hospitals Act which provides for stiffer penalties for aggravated assault and aggravated battery against healthcare workers on hospital campuses. HB 444 revises an action that operates as an official public notice that a lawsuit involving a claim on a property has been filed. HB 543 revises an exception to the six-person jury trial in civil actions. HB 572 renames the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission the State Ethics Commission and removes a provision regarding repayment of loans to campaign committees. |
| Jordan Ridley, R-Woodstock | 22 | 3 | None |
| Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth | 97 | None | None |
| David Sampson, D-Albany | 153 | None | None |
| Deborah Silcox, R-Sandy Springs | 53 | 7 | HB 416 authorizes qualified pharmacy technicians to administer certain vaccines. |
| Doug Stoner, D-Smyrna | 40 | 1 | HB 440 authorizes public and private schools to keep a supply of undesignated ready-to-use glucagon, a hormone the pancreas produces to help regulate a person’s blood glucose level. |
| Rick Townsend, R-Brunswick | 179 | 1 | None |
| Long Tran, D-Dunwoody | 80 | 1 | None |
| Ken Vance, R-Milledgeville | 133 | 4 | None |
| Anne Allen Westbrook, D-Savannah | 163 | None | None |
| Inga Willis, D- Atlanta | 55 | None | None |
New representatives: 46
Total statewide bills authored by freshmen representatives: 111
Total bills authored by freshmen representatives that became law: 19
* Does not include resolutions.
**Authored bills signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp. Does not include co-sponsored bills, resolutions or local legislation.
*** Rep. Franklin’s bill, HB 285 became part of SB 240.
Have questions, comments or tips? Contact Tammy Joyner on Twitter @lvjoyner or at [email protected].
Twitter @StateAffairsGA
Facebook @stateaffairsUS
Instagram @stateaffairsGA
LinkedIn @stateaffairs
Header image: Representatives Matt Reeves (left), Rey Martinez, Scott Hilton, Derek McCollum and Soo Hong pose with Speaker Jon Burns on the first day of the 2023 legislative session. (Credit: Georgia House of Representatives)
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House speaker Jon Burns hires new communications director
House speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, announced today that he has hired a new communications director. Kayla Roberson, who has served as press secretary at the Georgia Chamber for the past year or so, will now oversee all external communications, media relations and strategic messaging for Burns.
“I’m excited to welcome Kayla to our team,” Burns said in a statement. “Kayla has an excellent background, deep skill set and strong work ethic, and we’re excited to have her on board to continue getting our message out and sharing the House’s priorities ahead of and into the next session.”
A double major in political science and journalism at the University of Georgia, where she graduated in 2022, Roberson interned for U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican in north Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, and worked as a consultant for GOP political candidates before joining the Georgia Chamber.
“I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to work under the leadership of speaker Burns,” Roberson told State Affairs. “Whether it’s improving education opportunities, putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Georgians, creating jobs or supporting our rural communities, speaker Burns always prioritizes doing what is best, and what is right, for Georgia.”
Political strategist Stephen Lawson, who has held the top communications role for the speaker since last December, announced he’s joining Dentons, where starting today he’ll lead the global law firm’s public affairs efforts.
Have questions or comments? Contact Jill Jordan Sieder on X @journalistajill or at [email protected].
Global bird flu disrupts Georgia exports, costing chicken producers millions
ATLANTA — A global bird flu that has rapidly spread from birds to dairy cows, milk supplies and humans has cost untold millions of dollars in lost export business in Georgia, the nation’s leading poultry producer, officials with the state Department of Agriculture and poultry industry said.
Georgia has had only three reported cases of H5N1 avian influenza since it reemerged in 2022. The last of those cases was resolved in November 2023 but ramifications of those outbreaks continue to have a big effect on the state’s ability to export chicken and chicken parts, such as chicken feet, to different countries, including China, one of Georgia’s biggest export markets for chicken feet.
In 2022, frozen chicken feet, for example, accounted for more than 85% of all U.S. poultry exported to China, according to Farm Progress, publisher of 22 farming and ranching magazines.
The $30 billion poultry industry is Georgia’s largest segment in its No. 1 industry — agriculture.
China has also placed a ban on the import of chicken products from 41 other American states. The ban on Georgia products went into effect Nov. 21, 2023. Efforts to reach the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. were unsuccessful.
Georgia Poultry Federation President Mike Giles estimates the state’s loss at “well into the millions of dollars.”
“It’s a significant amount in a significant export market for us,” he said. “Poultry paws [feet] immediately lose value because of the loss of demand.”
The ban has forced Georgia poultry producers to find alternative markets for their products that would normally be headed to China.
“Some are sold domestically, some are frozen and stored, hopefully to find markets later on, and some go to other countries,” Giles said.
This isn’t the first time China has banned U.S.-produced poultry products due to a bird flu outbreak. The country instituted a ban in January 2015 which lasted until November 2019 — even though U.S. poultry products were deemed free of the disease by August 2017.
After that ban was lifted, China’s appetite for American-produced chicken products became voracious.
In 2022, U.S. producers shipped nearly $6 billion in poultry meat and related products (excluding eggs) to over 130 countries. China has emerged as the second largest destination for U.S. poultry exports, increasing from $10 million in 2019 to a record $1.1 billion in 2022, according to Southern Ag Today.
Chicken paws, for instance, are eaten in many Asian countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Korea.They can also be found on Chinese dim sum menus throughout the U.S. and are also popular in Jamaica, Trinidad, Russia and Ukraine in everything from soups and curries to fried snacks.
Three Georgia counties have reported H5N1 outbreaks since 2022. The most recent case was late last year. Henry, Sumter and Toombs counties each reported one case of H5N1 bird flu. Those outbreaks are resolved, poultry and state agriculture officials say.
“When HPAI cases are found in any state, that state is given a designation that could lead to foreign countries halting trade on poultry products from that state,” Georgia Department of Agriculture spokesman Matthew Agvent told State Affairs.
Not since 2016 has the United States experienced such a fast-moving case of the H5N1 avian influenza. In the last two months, the virus has spread in parts of the United States from birds to dairy cows, some milk supplies and humans. Two people — a Texas dairy worker and a prison inmate in Colorado who was killing infected birds at a poultry farm — are reported to have caught the virus, according to news reports. The outbreak is the largest in recent history, impacting both domestic poultry and livestock as well as wild birds and some mammal species.
State officials are continuing to monitor the national outbreak and its impact on Georgia.
Georgia’s poultry & egg industry: At A Glance
Annual economic impact: $30.2 billion
Percentage of the Agriculture industry: 58% *
Jobs: 87,900
Counties involved in poultry & egg production: 3 out of 4
National ranking in chicken broiler production: No. 1
Daily production of table eggs: 7.8 million
Daily production of hatching eggs: 6.5 million
Pounds of chicken produced daily: 30.2 million
Pounds of chicken produced annually: 8 billion
Number of chicken broilers processed each day: 5 million
Counties involved in poultry & egg production: 3 out of 4
Source: Georgia Poultry Federation; The Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, University of Georgia, Ag Snapshots 2024; Georgia Poultry Federation.
Have questions? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at [email protected].
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Kemp signs bills on education, health care, taxes
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a slew of bills over the past week or so, including the private school voucher bill long sought by Republicans and a bill that will ease regulations over the construction and expansion of medical facilities in rural areas.
His bill-signing events were clustered into themes: education, health care, military members, human trafficking and Georgia’s coastal communities.
Education
Among the education-related bills Kemp signed was Senate Bill 233, also known as the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, which provides the families of Georgia students enrolled in underperforming school districts with $6,500 scholarships that can be used toward private school or homeschooling expenses, including tuition, fees, textbooks and tutoring.
“Georgia is affording greater choice to families as to how and where they receive their education, while also continuing our efforts to strengthen public schools, support teachers, and secure our classrooms,” Kemp said, and thanked leadership in the House and Senate for prioritizing passage of the bill, which had failed in a close vote in 2023.
Democrats and many public education advocates who opposed the bill argued it will drain resources from public schools and primarily benefit students from wealthy families.
Kemp also signed Senate Bill 351, sponsored by nine Republican senators, which will require social media companies, as of July 1, 2025, to verify their users are at least 16 years old unless they receive approval from a parent.
House Bill 409, sponsored by Rep. Lauren Daniel, R-Locust Grove, directs school systems to consider not having bus stops where a student would have to cross a roadway with a speed limit of 40 mph or greater. The bill also increases the penalty for passing a stopped school bus to $1,000 from $250.
Kemp noted that Ashley Pierce, the mother of Addy Pierce, an 8-year-old who was fatally struck by a motorist as she boarded her school bus, “passionately advocated for and was instrumental in the passage of this legislation.”
Senate Bill 395, sponsored by Sen. Clint Dixon, R-Gwinnett, states that no school visitor or personnel can be prohibited from possessing an opioid reversal drug such as Narcan and directs schools to maintain a supply. It also allows opioid antagonists to be sold in vending machines and directs certain government buildings to maintain a supply of at least three doses.
Senate Bill 464, also sponsored by Dixon, creates the School Supplies for Teachers Program to financially and technically support teachers purchasing school supplies online. It also creates an executive committee of five voting members within the Georgia Council on Literacy and limits the number of approved literacy screeners to five, one of whom must be available to schools for free.
Health care
The governor chose his hometown of Athens as the venue to sign several bills aimed at improving health care in rural and underserved communities.
Among them was House Bill 1339, sponsored by Rep. Butch Parrish, R-Swainsboro, which revises the Certificate of Need process by which the state determines if and how new medical facilities can be built or expanded. The bill provides for several new exemptions, including psychiatric or substance abuse inpatient programs, basic perinatal services in rural counties, birthing centers and new general acute hospitals in rural counties. It also raises the total limit on tax credits for donations to rural hospital organizations to $100 million from $75 million.
Senate Bill 480, sponsored by Sen. Mike Hodges, R-Brunswick, establishes student loan repayments for mental health and substance use professionals serving underserved youth in the state or in unserved geographic areas disproportionately impacted by social determinants of health.
House Bill 872, sponsored by Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee, expands cancelable loans for certain health care professionals to dental students who agree to practice in rural areas.
Senate Bill 293, sponsored by Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, reorganizes county boards of public health and opens the qualifications for the CEO of each county board of health to include either licensed physicians or people with a master’s degree in public health or a related field.
Military members and veterans
Kemp on Wednesday focused on bills to improve military recruitment and provide more work opportunities for veterans and military family members.
House Bill 880, sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins, allows spouses of military service members to work under a license they hold in good standing in another state while under the supervision of an existing Georgia medical facility or provider.
Senate Bill 449, sponsored by Sen. Larry Walker, allows military medical personnel to practice for 12 months while a license application is pending, including working as a certified nursing aide, certified emergency medical technician, paramedic or licensed practical nurse. The bill also creates a new advanced practice registered nurse license and makes it a misdemeanor to practice advanced nursing without a license.
Human trafficking
The governor on Wednesday was accompanied by first lady Marty Kemp and other members of the GRACE Commission for the signing of an anti-human trafficking package. It includes Senate Bill 370, which adds certain businesses to the list of organizations that must post human trafficking notices, including convenience stores, body art studios, businesses that employ licensed massage therapists and manufacturing facilities.
Sponsored by Sen. Mike Hodges, R-Brunswick, the bill also allows the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy to initiate inspections of massage therapy businesses and educational programs without notice and requires massage therapy board members to complete yearly human trafficking awareness training.
House Bill 993, sponsored by Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, creates the felony offense of grooming of a minor and creates new penalties for offenses relating to visual mediums depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
House Bill 1201, sponsored by Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, allows human trafficking survivors who received first offender or conditional discharge status to vacate that status for certain crimes, as long as the crime was a direct result of being a victim of human trafficking.
Coastal communities
Earlier today in Brunswick, Kemp signed legislation impacting Georgia coastal communities, including House Bill 244, which amends the laws around how wild game can be hunted and how seafood dealers operate, and House Bill 1341, which designates white shrimp as the state’s official crustacean.
Taxes
Earlier this month Kemp signed several bills related to taxation, including House Bill 1015, sponsored by Rep. Lauren McDonald, R-Cumming, which lowers the state income tax for tax year 2024 to 5.39%, accelerating a multiyear drop in state income taxes that started at 5.75% in 2023 and will continue through 2029.
The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget estimates the tax cut acceleration will save Georgia taxpayers approximately $1.1 billion in calendar year 2024 and about $3 billion over the next 10 years.
Kemp also signed House Bill 1021, sponsored by Rep. Lauren Daniel, R-Locust Grove, which increases the state’s income tax dependent exemption to $4,000 from $3,000.
House Bill 581, sponsored by Reps. Shaw Blackmon, R-Bonaire, and Clint Crowe, R-Jackson, enables a constitutional amendment (House Resolution 1022) to let voters decide whether counties can provide a statewide homestead valuation freeze, which limits the increase in property values to the inflation rate.
The governor has until May 7 to sign or veto bills passed during the legislative session that ended on March 28. Those he takes no action on will automatically become law.
Legislation signed by Kemp is posted on the governor’s website.
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Have questions, comments or tips on education in Georgia? Contact Jill Jordan Sieder on X @journalistajill or at [email protected].
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