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.