ATLANTA (January 9, 2009) – State Senator Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) has been appointed by Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle as the new chairman of the Ethics Committee for the 2009 Legislative Session.
“I’m honored that Lieutenant Governor Cagle has appointed me to chair this prestigious committee,” Johnson said. “Georgians expect their state legislators to be held to outstanding moral principles, and as chairman I will uphold our increasingly higher ethical standards for government.”
Jurisdiction for the committee includes election bills and legislation addressing the moral and ethical issues relating to governmental individuals and groups.
Sen. Johnson is also a member of the Finance and Rules committees, vice-chairman of Regulated Industries and Utilities, and ex-officio of both the Agriculture and Consumer Affairs and Education and Youth committees. He served in the House for two years before being elected to the Senate in 1994, where he served as president pro tempore from 2003 to 2008. As a senator, Johnson passed important legislation such as the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship in 2007 which allows parents of eligible special needs students to transfer their children to another public school, public school system, state school, or approved participating private school in order to better fit their needs. This past year alone the state paid out over $5 million in scholarships to students.
For more information on the Georgia State Senate, please visit www.senate.ga.gov.
Sen. Eric Johnson of the 1st Senate district serves as the chairman of the Ethics Committee. He represents Bryan County and portions of Chatham and Liberty counties. He may be reached at 404.656.5109 or via e-mail at eric.johnson@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
January 9, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber, Director
Hayley Howell, Senate Press Office Aide
hayley.howell@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028