Legislative update: a briefing for faculty and staff of the University System of Georgia, No. 1 (Jan. 8, 2007)

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
A Briefing for Faculty & Staff of the University System of Georgia No. 1, January 8, 2007
"Creating a More Educated Georgia"

Today was the first day of the 2007 session of the Georgia General Assembly and also inauguration day for Gov. Sonny Perdue, who is beginning his second term.
Inauguration activities in Atlanta began with a 9:30 a.m. prayer service at Northside United Methodist Church, and continued through the day with a 2 p.m. swearing-in cer-

Call to Order

emony at Philips Arena, a 4 p.m. review of troops outside the State Capitol and a 7:30 p.m. Inaugural Celebration at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Next Monday, Jan. 15, lawmakers will take a break for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, and two days of budget hearings will follow (including

Chancellor Erroll B. Davis' presentation of the Governor's Budget Recommendations for the University System of Georgia to the Joint Appropriations Committees at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17). The session will resume on Jan. 22.
This session marks the beginning of a new biennium the first

year of the two-year terms served by all members of the General Assembly. Any bills and resolutions introduced but not adopted during the 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions now are considered dead and must be reintroduced afresh to receive further consideration.

House Welcomes 24 New Members

The Georgia House of Representatives is beginning the biennium with two dozen newly elected members. The newcomers are as follows:

Stacey Abrams, Atlanta

Celeste Johnson, Jonesboro

Amy Carter, Valdosta

Margaret Kaiser, Atlanta

Doug Collins, Gainesville Kevin Levitas, Atlanta

Rick Crawford, Cedartown Doug McKilip, Bogart

Hardie Davis, Augusta

Randy Nix, LaGrange

Katie Dempsey, Rome

Allen Peake, Macon

Gloria Frazier, Hephzibah Jimmy Pruett, Eastman

Mike Glanton, Jonesboro Tony Sellier, Fort Valley

J. Craig Gordon, Savannah Robbin Shipp, Atlanta

Mark Hamilton, Cumming Barbara Sims, Augusta

Wayne Howard, Augusta

Wade Starr, Fayetteville

Sean Jerguson, Canton

Mark Williams, Jesup

Senate has Six New Members
The November 2006 election added six new members to the Georgia Senate, including two former members of the House of Representatives, Jack Murphy of Cumming and Nan Orrock of Atlanta.
The other four newcomers are: Bill Cowsert of Athens, Gail Davenport of Jonesboro, Lee Hawkins of Gainesville, and Ron Ramsey of Lithonia.