AJC at the Gold Dome
AJC at the Gold Dome

Georgia lawmakers plan for eventual return to Capitol

ajc.com
By Mark Niesse
April 17, 2020

Georgia legislators are preparing to get back to work when the coronavirus subsides.

House Speaker David Ralston appointed a committee Thursday to make recommendations and review protocols for when the General Assembly reconvenes.

The legislative session has been suspended since March 13, leaving the state's 2021 budget and hundreds of other bills pending.

"None of us can know what the remainder of the session will look like," wrote Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge, in a memo to House members. "All we can know is that how we conduct our business will be significantly different than when we suspended the session."

Ralston appointed three Republicans and two Democrats to the committee.

The Republicans are Majority Leader Jon Burns, Majority Caucus Chairman Matt Hatchett and Rep. Mark Newton. The Democrats are Minority Leader Bob Trammell and Rep. William Boddie.

Ralston also named Chief of Staff Spiro Amburn, House Clerk Bill Reilly, Director of Constituent Services Holli Pitcock and House Messenger Betsy Theroux to the committee.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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