2017 Weekly Legislative Update
Week 1 – January 13, 2017
 
Legislative Days 1-4
 
As celebrations of the start to the session come to an end, our 2017 Georgia Legislative Session is well underway.  Week one is complete and week two is nearing its final days. Each week I'll bring you a post session update, and the following is what you missed in week one.
            
The 2017 Session of the Georgia General Assembly began at 10am on Monday, January 9.  This is the first year of the two year term so this week was full of ceremonial activities such as the swearing in of legislators, as well as legislators receiving their office and committee assignments. Click on these links to access the House and Senate Committee assignments and the Governor’s Floor Leaders.

On Tuesday, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual Eggs & Issues breakfast which was highlighted by talks from Senator David Purdue providing a federal update, Governor Nathan Deal giving highlights of transportation funding projects and announcing a new cyber security academy, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle addressing the need for quality education and access to healthcare and Speaker David Ralston announcing the Georgia Commission on Transit Governance and Funding.
On Wednesday, the Governor delivered his State of the State address; it can be viewed here.  The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget released the budget this week.  Highlights from the Governor’s budget can be found here.

The legislature is in recess until January 23rd.  The Senate will convene at 10 A.M. that day and the House at 11 A.M.  Budget hearings will continue next week on January 17 and 18.  The legislature passed a Resolution this week establishing the meeting days for the General Assembly through Thursday, February 2 which they set as legislative day 12.  You can access the full schedule here.

​Credit info to GeorgiaLink

​There are plenty of mixed feelings about 2016. It was a year of growth, of loss, unexpected surprises, scandal, regrets and new beginnings. It gave us a lot to focus on if we chose to focus on those things, but why do we want to? What purpose does looking back serve? Don't get me wrong we need historical references to have a greater understanding of the Good the Bad the Ugly of 2016.  However we must not stay there.  We should be looking in the direction of which we desire to go. For me that direction is onward and upward. By continuously looking back, we completely miss key oppotunities ahead of us; debating what we did wrong, what we could have done better, and did we engage and cultivate the right relationships. It's all a bit overwhelming, and can be a very exhaustive state of mind. 
 
Whew...now that 2016 is behind us, let us focus on looking forward. Looking in the direction that we want to go, the direction our game plan set the path for. This year I didnt make a resolution or promises to myself or other people. Instead I created a plan with measurable objectives.  Whatever I didn't do in 2016 to move me closer to my goal I cannot change it now. Nevertheless, I'm laser focused, I have written action and execution plans, and more importantly a new accountability group. So that's it, nothing new.  I didn't recreate the wheel, I didn't have a life changing experience, and I dont have regrets or any lingering woulda coulda shoulda symptons.  All I have is a crazy amount of determination, a great therapist and a 2017 Map.  I'm not looking back because that is not the way I am going.  I may need to stop and recharge along the way, and I might need to slow down to be reflective; but the coordinates of my map have been set. There's no looking back now and it's not the direction I'm going in anyway.  Cheers to 2017 and the year ahead!