Georgia legislators headed back at the state Capitol this week. Lawmakers are expected to address a number of topics including police reform, voting laws, and redistricting, among others. We spoke with District 117 Representative Houston Gaines regarding the 2021 session.
"There's no doubt that this legislative session is going to look unique as we continue to face challenges as a community, state, and country, and we have to address those head-on. While of course at the same time, things are looking different but it also feels different with the challenges before us."
Gaines says there are several immediate issues facing Georgia residents.
"Families are hurting, small businesses are hurting, so we have to do all we can to keep our state healthy, as we fight the health side of COVID-19. There's also a lot of other healthcare issues we've got to address this legislative session. We've got the economic side of what's happening in our country. We have a lot of individuals who are out of work, we have small businesses that have been really hurt."
Despite those challenges, Rep. Gaines remains optimistic when it comes to lawmakers being able to get things done this session.
"We're going to make some significant progress I think in the General Assembly this year to continue to move our state forward."
One pressing concern for 2021 and every year is the state budget, which lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass.
