Ups, Downs and In-betweens
2025 Legislative Session: When the Georgia General Assembly convenes on Jan. 13, it will look much like the sessions of the recent past, with only 20 newcomers total in the House and Senate. Republicans maintained majorities in both the House (100 to 80) and the Senate (33 to 23) and reelected all of their party leaders. Rep. Jon Burns (D-Newington) will serve again as House Speaker and Sen. John F. Kennedy (R-Macon) will serve as president pro tempore of the Senate.
On the Democratic side, there are new faces in leadership roles. Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), who has served in the House since 1992, will step into the House minority leader’s shoes. Sen. Harold Jones II (D-Augusta) will serve as Senate minority leader.
Kemp Leads GOP Group: Gov. Brian Kemp is the new chair of the Republican Governor’s Association. He was elected to the role at the end of 2024. The national group raises funds to help Republicans get elected across the country. In the new role, Kemp is expected to travel to other states. This could bump up his national profile as he decides whether to seek another political office when his term ends in 2026.
Committee Dismissed: Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, dismissed all members of the maternal mortality review committee, the group charged with investigating deaths of pregnant women, following the release to news source ProPublica of internal information on the deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller. The committee had determined that their deaths were preventable. They were the first reported deaths of women who could not receive the care they needed due to the state’s abortion ban.
Trump Picks Georgians: President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to nominate former Sen. David Perdue to be the next ambassador to China. His appointment will require Senate confirmation. Perdue served in the U.S. Senate from 2015 to 2021, when he was defeated by Democratic Sen. John Ossoff. Trump has chosen another former U.S. senator from Georgia – Kelly Loeffler – to lead the Small Business Administration. Loeffler was appointed to the Senate by Kemp in 2019 and defeated by Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2021.
Increase Efficiency, Save Money: The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority is launching two pilot programs that offer rebates for home energy upgrades. The $220 million funding comes from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and offers rebates for improvements to home energy efficiency from things like upgrading insulation or weatherizing homes. The second program covers upgrades to appliances that improve efficiency or reduce emissions, including switching to an electric stove or heat pump. For more information visit energyrebates.georgia.gov.
New USG Leaders: T. Dallas Smith will be the 2025 University System of Georgia Board of Regents chair, and David Dove will be vice chair. Smith joined the board in 2020, representing the state’s 5th congressional district. He is the founder and CEO of T. Dallas Smith and Co., a development firm with a focus on public-private partnerships, sustainable growth and urban transformation. Dove represents the 11th district and is a partner at Troutman Pepper, an Atlanta law firm, where he focuses on regulatory matters and economic investment. The two will lead the board as it deals with record enrollment in USG institutions. The system recorded an all-time high enrollment of 364,725 students in fall 2024, a 5.9% increase over fall 2023. 
