ATLANTA (December 2, 2025) — On Wednesday, December 3,at 8:30 a.m., Sen. Larry Walker III (R–Perry), Representatives Matt Hatchett (R–Dublin), Butch Parrish (R–Swainsboro) and Danny Mathis (R–Cochran) will host a Middle Georgia Listening Day to discuss issues and concerns that may be addressed during the 2026 Legislative Session.
Continue readingSen. Larry Walker III Shares Georgia’s Success at NCOIL Fall Meeting
ATLANTA (November 18, 2025) — Today, Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry) announced the successful conclusion of the National Council of Insurance Legislators’ (NCOIL) Fall Meeting, held in Atlanta. Sen. Walker, who chaired a meeting of NCOIL’s Property & Casualty (P&C) Committee, led key discussions and guided major consumer protection measures through the committee during the Saturday session.
Continue readingCOLUMN: Walker: Breaking Barriers, Building Careers: Reform That Keeps Georgia Working
By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)
As 2025 draws to a close, Georgia’s economy continues to expand. Still, I keep hearing a familiar concern echoed throughout our state. A lack of work isn’t holding Georgia back; it’s the barriers that prevent willing workers from accessing it.
Across our state, we’ve got men and women who know their trades inside and out. They’ve studied, trained and earned their stripes. However, the process of becoming “official” in the eyes of the state often slows them down. Whether it’s an HVAC technician waiting on a license renewal or a small business that can’t fill a vacancy, the result is the same… good work delayed by red tape.
If someone has the training, experience and work ethic to do a job, the government shouldn’t stand in their way. According to the Georgia Department of Labor’s Workforce Trends to 2028, our state is on track to add more than 550,000 new jobs by the end of the decade, an increase of nearly 12 percent statewide. Health care and social assistance will lead the charge, adding over 122,000 positions. Professional and business services will follow closely with almost 96,000 new opportunities. Our construction industry, which propels much of our rural economic growth, is projected to grow by more than seven percent as new roads, bridges and facilities rise across the state.
Those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Every new project depends on people who are licensed and ready to work. That’s where reform matters most.
This year, I sponsored Senate Bill 125, which helps engineering graduates gain a competitive edge in their careers. Before this law, graduates were required to complete four years of work experience before they could take the Professional Engineering exam. SB 125 decouples the exam from that requirement, allowing graduates to test while the material is still fresh in their minds. They’ll still need real-world experience to become fully licensed, but they won’t lose four productive years waiting for the state’s permission to prove what they already know.
We also passed House Bill 579, which I was proud to carry through the Senate. This new law streamlines the licensing process for skilled trades and high-demand professions by giving the Professional Licensing Boards Division more flexibility to issue temporary or provisional licenses. That means a qualified plumbing apprentice or HVAC technician can begin working under supervision while completing an exam, rather than sitting on the sidelines. In places like Houston County or Laurens County, that difference can determine whether a business grows or has to turn down work.
Together, these reforms move Georgia closer to being a state that rewards hard work and eliminates unnecessary red tape, and they come at the right time. The Department of Labor projects that more than 48,000 new transportation and material-moving jobs and 14,000 new construction-related positions will be available by 2028. Add to that nearly 95,000 new jobs in science, technology, engineering and math fields, and you can see the opportunity that lies ahead.
Rural communities, especially, can’t afford to lose momentum. When a single HVAC technician or lineman retires, it doesn’t just impact a business. It affects every family, church and school that relies on their skills. Georgians aren’t asking for shortcuts. They deserve a system that respects their training, values their time and recognizes that honest work shouldn’t be tangled up in paperwork.
SB 125 and HB 579 are all about clearing the road for our people to continue to build, heal and lead in every corner of the state. As we lay a foundation for the 2026 Legislative Session, I’m committed to being a champion for every Georgian who works hard to provide for their family. When our workforce succeeds, Georgia does too.
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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.
For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.
Sen. Larry Walker Urges Swift Action to End Federal Government Shutdown
ATLANTA (October 29, 2025) — Today, Sen. Larry Walker III (R–Perry) released a letter addressed to U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock (D–GA) and Jon Ossoff (D–GA), urging them to take immediate action to end the ongoing federal government shutdown, now entering its 29th day.
In his letter, Sen. Walker highlighted the growing hardship faced by Georgia families, including the potential expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which would affect an estimated 1.5 million Georgians, over 300,000 of whom are children. He also noted the severe impact on the 22,000 employees and contractors at Robins Air Force Base, the state’s largest single-site employer, where hundreds of essential workers have already been furloughed.
“The expiration of these benefits is not a distant threat; it is imminent, and it will exacerbate hunger and food insecurity at a scale we have not seen in years,” Sen. Walker wrote. “Georgia’s children, seniors and working poor deserve better than to bear the brunt of Washington’s dysfunction.”
Sen. Walker called on Georgia’s U.S. Senators to “set aside partisan divides and lead the charge in the Senate to pass a clean continuing resolution,” emphasizing the urgent need to restore federal funding and protect both Georgia families and the national defense operations anchored in Middle Georgia.
A full copy of Sen. Walker’s letter to Sens. Warnock and Ossoff is attached.
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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.
For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.
COLUMN: Walker: From the Fairgrounds to the Fields – Georgia Agriculture Stands Tall
By: Sen. Larry Walker, III (R–Perry)
Agriculture has been and continues to be the backbone of our state. It feeds our families, fuels our economy and sustains communities from Clinch to Murray County. Fall has officially arrived, and you don’t have to look far to see cotton fields turning white, peanuts being dug, pecans beginning to open and families preparing for the Georgia National Fair here in Perry. This is the season when the hard work of our farmers comes full circle, and it’s time we pause to celebrate them.
Every October, the Georgia National Fair gives people of all ages the chance to see what agriculture looks like up close. For many young students, it’s the first time they will experience livestock shows, meet FFA or 4-H members and start to truly understand our farmers’ dedication to growing the food that ends up on their table. It’s a celebration and teaching moment to remind us that agriculture is a calling passed down from generation to generation.
This month, the Sunbelt Ag Expo will bring together farmers and innovators from across the Southeast and beyond in Moultrie. Billed as “North America’s Premier Farm Show,” the expo showcases the latest precision ag equipment, tools and technologies. It’s also where farmers trade ideas and find new ways to remain competitive in a changing world. Events like this highlight both the heritage and the future of agriculture in Georgia.
Our farmers and foresters rise before daylight, manage forces outside their control and shoulder the responsibility of feeding our citizens and sheltering much of the nation. They need freedom to do their jobs and the assurance that their state government will defend them when it matters most.
That’s why I was proud to support Senate Bill 144 earlier this year. This legislation is based on the commonsense principle: if a product meets federal safety standards, that should be enough. SB 144, ensures that companies providing agricultural inputs like fertilizers and pesticides won’t be dragged into frivolous lawsuits for not adding warnings beyond what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) already requires.
Why does that matter? Without access to these EPA-approved products, Georgia farmers can’t stay competitive. Across the country, we’ve seen lawsuits weaponized against companies that produce fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, even when those products cleared rigorous federal review. Those lawsuits drive up costs and land squarely on the shoulders of the people growing the cotton in your shirts and the produce on your table.
SB 144 shuts that door, giving certainty to suppliers, stability to farmers and the tools they need to keep producing strong, healthy crops. It’s a law rooted in the common-sense principles that Georgia farmers live by every day.
Through the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget and as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, we made significant investments to strengthen agriculture for the next generation. That includes $7.3 million for new vocational and ag-ed equipment, so students in more school systems have access to the hands-on tools they need to learn. It also provides over $50 million in capital projects for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, including upgrades to state labs and critical facility improvements.
We also put new resources into promoting Georgia-grown products and our state’s forestry industry. A new pilot program for Georgia-grown wood will open doors for our foresters so their products reach more markets here at home and abroad. These targeted, conservative investments support Georgia jobs, families and communities dependent on agriculture. They prove that state government can make a real difference when it works with the people it serves.
Georgia has been named the No. 1 state to do business for twelve straight years. We can’t hold that title without protecting our top industry. That means standing up to nuisance lawsuits, investing in rural infrastructure and workforce pipelines, and recognizing that food security is national security. If our farmers can’t produce affordably and reliably, we all lose. SB 144 and our budget investments clearly convey that Georgia stands with its farmers.
This October, as families enjoy the Georgia National Fair, farmers gather in Moultrie for the Sunbelt Expo, and combines roll across our fields, I hope you’ll join me in recognizing how vital agriculture is to our lives.
At the end of the day, agriculture supports faith, family and freedom in all corners of our state. It’s about parents teaching their children the value of hard work and neighbors lending a hand when times get tough. We must preserve the American Dream for the next generation, and as your senator, I’ll continue to fight for policies that honor those values and keep Georgia growing strong.
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Sen. Larry Walker serves as Secretary of the Majority Caucus and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes Bleckley, Dodge, Dooly, Laurens, Treutlen, Pulaski and Wilcox counties, as well as portions of Houston County. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0095 or by email at Larry.Walker@senate.ga.gov.
For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.