pro.stateaffairs.com · September 6, 2026
EST. 2021
# State Affairs Georgia
Sep 06, 2026
Lawmakers ‘get on the good first foot’ in 3-day networking session
Rep.-elect Bryce Berry chats with other attendees at the Biennial. (Credit: Tammy Joyner)
Tammy Joyner Dec 10, 2024
ATHENS — The 34th Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, essentially a crash course for legislative newcomers and a refresher for veterans, will focus largely on demographic trends, workforce challenges, the state budget and what legislators need to know about the State Ethics Commission.
Hundreds of legislators, lobbyists, staffers and vendors are attending this week’s event, hosted by the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, in hopes of gaining some insight into issues ahead of the General Assembly’s upcoming session on Jan. 13.
Bryan Thomas, the Atlanta-based chief communications officer for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said that Georgia takes a relatively unique approach to introducing lawmakers to the inner workings of state government.
“NCSL has team members that travel to attend new member orientations [in various states] every two years, and introduce ourselves and our support for state legislatures,” said Thomas. “It’s very clear that Georgia’s is exceptionally well-organized. It’s unique in that all [legislative] members are here. A lot of times, these orientations are done only for new members or just within caucuses. So having all of the members present gets Georgia on the good first foot in the new legislative session.”
The relationship-building has been particularly “invaluable” for senator-elect Rashaun Kemp, D-Atlanta. He’ll represent District 38, which covers Sandy Springs, Atlanta, South Fulton and Palmetto.
“It’s been helpful in preparing me as a new legislator,” he told State Affairs. “ We have to work in a bipartisan fashion.”
When Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan, entered the Legislature 28 years ago, she said she was not prepared for the “intense” lobbying that goes on in the Statehouse. “How does a new legislator handle this?” she asked during one session. “It’s complicated. A lot of times [the public] feel the legislators aren’t making the decision, the hallway is.”
Brad Vaughan, legislative director and counsel in the Office of the Lieutenant Governer, promptly responded. “People in the hall have no power. Be selective about what bills and projects you take on. Be cautious. Rely on the staff and other legislative members.”
Among Monday’s highlights:
### Demographic trends
With 11 million residents, Georgia is the nation’s eighth most populous state in the nation.
Meanwhile, birth rates are falling. The years between 2020 and 2023 were among the lowest rates in the past 24 years.
“This impacts education and the workforce,” in the future, Taylor Hafley, an applied demographer at the University of Georgia, told lawmakers.
Some 1 in 3 Georgians — about 3.5 million — live in just four counties: Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett. Another third live in counties just outside those four, said Hafley. He said Georgia’s population growth is coming mostly from people moving into the state from 10 nearby states.
### Professional licensing issues
Getting a license for various professions in Georgia is often burdensome, with complaints of poor customer service and response times.
Here’s what’s been done or proposed to address the problem:
The Secretary of State’s office, which is responsible for licensing, has hired a director to oversee the process.
Review the number of licenses offered and consideration on eliminating unused or under-used licenses.
Move to a more electronic process for getting licenses. “We’re going to have to do things more automatically,” said Sen. Blake Tillery, who co-chaired the Special Joint Committee to Investigate Licensing Issues with Rep. Matt Hatchett. Artificial intelligence could play a big part in licensing, Tillery added.
Some boards may not be able to administer licenses but they can deny them.
“The biggest thing I would tell you is [to] flip and redo how licenses are created,” Tillery said.
“I believe things are already better,” Hatchett told lawmakers. “We’re making headway.”
### Workforce challenges
Lawmakers discussed housing, literacy and child care as pressing workforce issues that must be addressed.
In terms of housing, Gainesville has developed several housing options, including townhomes renting for below-market rates.
The city has redeveloped its housing projects and developed homes for sale by taking advantage of grants for site work and tax credit programs to get people into their own home, as well as working with private developers and nonprofits.
The city has added 250 new affordable housing units since 2017. “We don’t have all of the answers but we’re certainly being creative,” said Jessica Tullar, Gainesville’s housing & special projects manager.
In terms of education, fewer than 4 in 10 Georgia third graders — 38% — are reading proficiently. One in 10 adults in Georgia are considered “low illiterate,” meaning lacking literacy skills — that’s roughly 1 million people, according to Joy Hawkins, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.
“These workforce challenges, if we do not think about them and really tie them to a broader kind of workforce stability, then our economic competitiveness will falter,” said Sen. Sonja Halpern, D-Atlanta, who served on the Child Care Study Committee.
“I tend to think of housing, literacy, child care as things with present day implications,” said Halpern, adding that she spends “well above” her Senate salary on child care. “These are nonpartisan issues. I look forward to what we’ll do in the coming session to address these issues.”
In other workforce news:
Georgia spends about $1.3 billion annually on social services, lost income and incarceration tied to illiteracy.
For the first time, Hawkins noted, Georgia will have a literacy plan for the next five years. “We will have a north star,” she said.
It now costs more to have a baby than to send your child to college, said Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, chair of the Senate Study Committee on Access to Affordable Child Care.
Thirty-five percent of families in Georgia are spending more than a third of their income on child care. Some 36% of families indicated child care challenges led them to leave the workforce.
Over 1 in four — 26% — Georgia children live in food-insecure homes; 24% live below the poverty line.
Have questions? Contact Tammy Joyner on X @lvjoyner or at tammy@stateaffairs.com.