This is a legislative update from State Representative Lehman Franklin.
Week 3 Highlights:
- On Monday, we observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day by pausing to remember the millions of innocent lives lost and recommitting to making sure such atrocities are never forgotten.
- On Tuesday, we joined our counterparts in the Senate to hear the State of the Judiciary address from Chief Justice Michael Boggs of the Georgia Supreme Court.
- Throughout the week, House Appropriations Subcommittees continued to review sections of the AFY 2025 budget.
- My colleagues and I also gathered in the House Chamber for a special unveiling of former Dean of the House Calvin Smyre’s official portrait. Smyre served 48 years in the Georgia House of Representatives – the longest-serving member in state history!
- Last but not least, we also took time to recognize the Lunar New Year and recognize the many accomplishments and contributions of the Asian-American community in Georgia!
I want to take a moment to recognize the two individuals from Georgia whose lives were lost in the tragic plane crash at Reagan National Airport this week: Sam Lilley and Ryan O’Hara. Lilley, who was the First Officer on the plane, went to Richmond Hill High School in Bryan County and graduated from Georgia Southern University. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of both Sam and Ryan during this extraordinarily difficult time.
Digging Deeper
- Chief Justice Boggs’ State of the Judiciary address was enlightening. He noted, among things:
- There’s been a rise in public confidence in state courts – a good thing considering more than 95% of all court cases in the U.S. are handled in state courts.
- He also told us that Georgia courts are proactively looking into the impact of AI on our legal system.
- He talked about the issue of legal deserts and noted that there are 7 rural counties in Georgia that don’t have a single licensed attorney. To address this problem, the chief justice has created the Supreme Court Study Committee on Legal Regulatory Reform, which will explore ways to extend civil legal services to rural and low-income areas.
- The chief justice also proposed measures to increase security for judges, as attacks and threats against the court system have been on the rise.
- As I mentioned above, Appropriations Subcommittees are hard at work, digging into Gov. Kemp’s budget proposals.
- Once a subcommittee passes their section of the budget, it will then be presented to the whole House Appropriations Committee, where members will work to form one unified budget.
- Then, it will move to the House Rules Committee before heading to the House floor for a vote.
Coming Up:
We will return to the State Capitol on Monday, February 3!
I’ll be back next week for another recap. Have a great week!
-Lehman
Did you know: You can also follow me on social media to get helpful information and regular updates throughout the session!
My capitol office is located at:
501-F Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg
Atlanta, GA 30334,
My office phone number is:
404-656-0178
My official email address is:
lehman.franklin@house.ga.gov.
