Mr. Speaker Ralston (R-Blue Ridge)...

On Monday, Rep. Mark Burkhalter (R - Alpharetta) oversaw the proceedings for the only time during his short term as Speaker of the House, which included the elections of officers. Long serving state legislator Rep. David Ralston (R - Blue Ridge) was elected the third Republican speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives in the modern era. After months of turmoil, the House seemed to settle down slightly, when Rep. Larry O'Neal (R - Warner Robins), Ralston's former political opponent for the post of Speaker, actually presented the nomination before the full House. O'Neal entered the well to raucous applause to give his nomination speech, one which proved to be characteristically eloquent and humorous. O'Neal poked fun at himself, opening his comments with the statement that "I stand before you as, I believe, the only Republican in this house who has yet to vote for Rep. Ralston." Ralston ascended the lectern and accepted the gavel from Burkhalter to extended applause, and proceeded to give a passionate acceptance address. At times, his voice trembled as he outlined his vision for the House, a body that has a history of stubborn independence. Ralston's election by a vote of 116-58 was only the apex of a historical day, as he received opposition from Rep. Calvin Smyre (D - Columbus), a 36 year veteran of the House, chairman of the National Black Legislative Caucus, and widely considered by many to be the most powerful African-American state legislators in the country. Smyre pointed out in his comments the simple fact that he was a candidate for Speaker was in and of itself a "victory for democracy and the minority party."

Earlier on Monday, Rep. Jan Jones (R - John's Creek) was elected as President Pro - Tempore of the House, the highest office ever held by a woman in the history of the Georgia legislature. Jones was opposed on the Democratic side by veteran lawmaker Rep. Kathy Ashe (D - Atlanta). In a gesture of goodwill, Speaker Ralston has indicated that he will avoid the typical political revenge tactics by reaching a common ground in setting up his new leadership team.

House Annouces Changes In Committee Chairs

The House of Representatives released its roster of committee appointments this afternoon. Listed are some of the most notable changes in chairman positions:

Rep. Bill Hembree - Rules Chairman (previously Earl Ehrhart)
Rep. Wendell Willard - Rules Vice-Chairman (previously John Lunsford)
Rep. Earl Ehrhart - Appropriations Higher Education Vice-Chairman (previously Bob Smith)
Rep. Terry England - Appropriations Education Vice-Chairman (previously Ed Lindsey)
Rep. Penny Houston - Appropriations Human Services Vice-Chairman (previously Mark Butler)
Rep. Doug Collins - Appropriations Secretary (previously Richard Smith)
Rep. Len Walker - Higher Education Chairman (previously Bill Hembree)
Rep. John Meadows - Insurance Chairman (previously Tom Knox)
Rep. Mark Hamilton - Governmental Affairs Chairman (previously Austin Scott)
Rep. Tim Bearden - Governmental Affairs Vice-Chairman (previously John Meadows)
Rep. Richard Smith - Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight Chairman (previously Penny Houston)
Rep. Clay Cox - Human Relations Chairman (previously Len Walker)
Rep. Mark Williams - Game, Fish, & Parks Vice-Chairman (previously Cecily Hill)
Rep. John Lunsford - Special Committee on Small Business Development Chairman (new committee)
Rep. Mike Jacobs - Judiciary Vice-Chairman (previously David Ralston)
Rep. Stephen Allison - Judiciary Secretary (previously Mike Jacobs)
Rep. Kevin Levitas*- Judiciary Non-Civil Secretary (previously Tim Bearden)
*member of the Democratic Party

Spiro Amburn named Chief of Staff for Speaker David Ralston

Speaker David Ralston has name Spiro Amburn as his Chief of Staff. Amburn is a familiar face to many around the Capitol, and has earned an outstanding reputation for his friendly demeanor and strong work ethic. Spiro comes to the Speaker's office from the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. Additional announcements on staff appointments will be forthcoming next week.

Lt. Governor Casey Cagle Appoints Budget Advisory Group

On Monday, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle was joined by members of the Senate leadership in naming several prominent Georgia business figures to a budget advisory panel that will offer advice to the Senate in making tough budget decisions in a down economy. Included in that group were Max Blocker of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Monye Connelly of Blue Cross Blue Shield Georgia, Greg Duncan of UCB, Inc., Edward Heys of Deloitte & Touche, Ronnie Labrato of the Georgia Power Company, Kelly McCutchen of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and Suzanne Sitherwood of Atlanta Gas Light. Lt. Governor Cagle has charged the group to identify new ways to balance the budget without making drastic cuts in services or raising taxes.

Governor Sonny Perdue Sets Special Election for Paulding House Seat

On Monday, Governor Sonny Perdue set a date for the special election to fill the seat vacated by former Speaker Glenn Richardson. The special election for House Seat 19 will be held on February 23.

Transportation Issue Begins Early Movement

One of the most dominant issues of the last two legislative sessions has been transportation funding. Varying approaches have been tested for funding of additional transportation infrastructure improvements in Georgia including passenger rail, larger interestate interchanges, rural highways and public private partnerships. The proposals have taken several forms including a statewide one cent sales tax and a regional TSPLOST for a group of 10 metro Atlanta counties. All versions of the legislation have, to date, fallen victim to various and sundry political foes. However, the issue has continued to be one of vital importance to the business community in Georgia, and has thus continued to be on the forefront of the minds of many decision makers across the state. This past weekend, then Speaker-elect and now Speaker David Ralston told Insider Advantage that he was very optimistic about the proposal's chances this year. Ralston pointed to the long running political battles between the House, Senate and Governor's office as part of the reason nothing had been done on the issue to date, and indicated that Georgia's outdated system for financing transportation improvements must be improved.

On Thursday, Governor Sonny Perdue held a press conference in which he outlined his new proposal for transportation improvements in Georgia. The first part of the Governor's proposal includes a recommendation in the FY 2011 budget for a $300 million bond package for projects aligned with the statewide strategic transportation plan. The bonds will be paid back through general funds rather than motor fuel taxes. The Governor also stated that he would support legislation to create special taxing districts for transportation currently outlined by the state's 12 regional development commissions. Each district will hold a district specific vote on a one cent sales tax to be spent on a list of projects the local governments produce in conjunction with GDOT's director of planning.

2010 Session Begins with a "Bang"

Rep. Tim Bearden (R - Villa Rica) became famous during the 2008 session when he sponsored a highly popular but highly controversial measure to change concealed handgun laws in Georgia. In the process, he raised the ire of both then Mayor of Atlanta Shirley Franklin and Ben DaCosta , general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport. This year, Bearden wasted no time in approaching the issue again, sponsoring an even more controversial measure to allow licensed gun owners to carry their firearms in a host of previously barred public places such as churches, colleges and bars. Bearden cited the current law as extremely confusing to gun owners, and suggested that the measure would clear up the confusion once and for all. Rep. Rich Golick (R - Smyrna) , chairman of the House Juiciary Non-Civil Committee, assigned the bill to a subcommittee for further review.

Governor Sonny Perdue Outlines Education Policy Priorities

On Tuesday morning, Governor Perdue greeted close to 2,700 guests at the annual Eggs and Issue Breakfast hosted by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Governor Perdue spoke to a number of policy priorities, the most intriguing of which was a proposal to add a performance based pay option to teachers existing salaries. The current system allows for teacher pay increases only on a rigid schedule and experience-oriented system, and the new system he outlined would reward salary bonuses based on classroom observation, and give teachers the option for higher pay earlier in their careers. The system would allow for teachers to opt in beginning in 2014.

Governor Perdue used his speech to renew his call for school board governance legislation. This announcement closely followed an earlier announcement that Warren County would be the second Georgia school system in the past year to lose accreditation.

Georgia World Congress Center Expected to Name Executive Director

As previously reported Rep. Mark Bukhalter (R - Alpharetta) had been a candidate to replace Dan Graveline , who retired last year after serving as the Executive Director of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority since 1976. Burkhalter later withdrew his name for consideration, and a spokesman for the Authority told reporters this week that the Authority should be ready to name a replacement in the next couple of weeks. The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC), which serves as the focal point of Atlanta's $11 billion yearly tourism industry, is projected to operate at a $5.6 million loss in 2010, and will face tremendous challenges in the next couple of years. The GWCC averages 2 million guests each year.

Notes from the Campaign Trail

Former Rep. Hardie Davis (D - Augusta) is headed to a runoff with Harold Jones, a former state court solicitor, in the race for Senate District 22. Davis received 48 percent of the vote, Jones received 39 percent, Libertarian Bryant Taylor received 9 percent and Democrat Sandra Scott received 2 percent. The runoff is scheduled for February 2. Senate District 22 was formerly represented by Ed Tarver, who resigned his seat after being appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia by President Obama.

Earnie Smith won the special election to fill House District 122 (held previously by Hardie Davis), as he was the only candidate to qualify.

Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine reports $2.2 million cash on hand

Eric Johnson reports $1.3 million cash on hand.

Rep. Austin Scott reports $159,000 cash on hand.

Karen Handel reports $400,000 cash on hand.

Congressman Nathan Deal reports $940,000 cash on hand.

Former Governor Roy Barnes reports $2.4 million cash on hand.

Attorney General Thurbert Baker reports $665,000 cash on hand.

Rep. Dubose Porter reports $303,000 cash on hand.

Gen. David Poythress reports $264,000 cash on hand.

State Senator Ralph Hudgens out raised all of his opponents, ending the year with a cash-on-hand balance of approximately $285,000, nearly three times more than the second highest fundraiser in the race for Insurance Commissioner.

Georgia Trend Names 100 Most Influential Georgians

This week, Georgia Trend continued its annual tradition of naming 100 of Georgia's most influential business, community and political leaders. While not all of them can be listed here, several deserve recognition as being worth their weight in gold...

Charlie Craig, President of Georgia Bio

Kit Dunlap, President of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce

Senator Tim Golden, Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus

Todd Long, Director of Planning at the Georgia Department of Transportation

Senator Jeff Mullis, Senate Transportation Chairman

Sylvia Russell, President of AT&T Georgia

Suzanne Sitherwood, President of Atlanta Gas Light and incoming Chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce

Vance Smith, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation

Current Legislative Schedule

Adjorned next week to honor the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday with budget hearings to be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The legislature will reconvene January 25-28, adjourn for the weekend, and then reconvene for five days beginning February 1.

Today in History

January 15, 1777: In present day Vermont, U.S. declares its independence during the American Revolutionary War.

January 15, 1844: The University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana.

January 15, 1870: Harper's Weekly publishes the first political cartoon, in which the United States Democratic Party is symbolized by a donkey.

January 15, 1943: The world's largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia.

January 15, 1967: Super Bowl I is played in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.

January 15, 2009: U.S. Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing in the Hudson River. All on board survive.

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