By Chip Pearson
DAWSONVILLE (January 4, 2011) – As I serve my final week your State Senator for District 51, I thought it appropriate that my last column reflect on the previous six years as your representative and thank you for your support, and for the privilege of serving you.
On Jan. 10, 2005, I was sworn in as your State Senator for the new District 51. I was very fortunate in my committee assignments and was named Secretary of the Transportation Committee and also appointed to the Appropriations Committee in my first year. The following spring I was honored to be named Chairman of a major committee, Economic Development, a position which I have held for the last five years. Beginning in 2007 through the present I have also been a member of the Administrative Affairs, Banking and Financial Institutions, Insurance and Labor, Rules and Special Judiciary committees. I was also named Vice Chairman of the Transportation Committee, made a Sub-Committee Chairman of Appropriations and appointed to the influential Committee on Assignments. In addition, I held the position of Deputy Whip for all six years I served in the Senate. As you can see, my role and responsibility grew exponentially in a very short period of time.
Along with these committee and leadership assignments, I also was generally very busy with my own legislation. I sponsored an average of over two major bills (not including local legislation) each year that made it to a governor’s signature and became law. Additionally, I was a top five co-sponsor on more than five major bills per year, as well as carrying two or more House bills through the Senate each year. Team 51 was indeed busy on the legislative side. Like most legislators, my initiatives were typically aligned with areas of personal interest or specific knowledge. Among these were water, immigration, economic development, transportation and fairness in property taxation.
Water and water supply, reservoir permitting, and common sense in stream buffer requirements were given constant attention from me over the last six years, with the result being my SB 342 (2008), SB 463 (2008) , SB 155 (2009) and SB 380 (2010) all passing and being signed into law. Illegal immigration was also an area I focused on primarily with penalties for the manufacture and distribution of fake identification in SB 421 (2008), and most importantly, the first in the nation prohibition against “sanctuary cities” in my SB 20 (2009).
Legislation I sponsored that became law dealing with economic development and transportation included SB 160 (2005), SB 81, SB 87 (2007) and SB 444 (2008). Additionally, a constant concern of mine has been and will continue to be fairness in property taxation, valuation and process. To that end, I sponsored SB 597 and SB 55 dealing with these issues that were passed and signed into law in 2006 and 2009 respectively.
None of this legislation, budgeting, research or communicating with or helping our constituents happens without the help of dedicated staff at the Capitol. I owe any successes of the last six years to those great team members. For those of you who have called our Senate office, you have been the beneficiary of my most important team member, my assistant Donna Yeomans. Her hard work, organization and dedication and caring to those we represent has been most appreciated by not only me, but by all those who she helped over the years. Thank you, Donna.
Like you, I expect that those who represent me at every level of government to be dedicated, hard working and devoted to constitutional principles and limited government. I also expect that they know that governance is not about them, but about those they represent and the constitution they are sworn to uphold. It is also not done in a vacuum, but is a team effort. It was with these precepts in mind that we coined our Team 51 commitment, which is: “To bring conservative, common sense, market-based solutions to the issues and opportunities facing the 51st District and Georgia.” I can say, and I hope my legislative record and efforts reflect that I have kept to these principles on your behalf for the last six years.
It has truly been an honor and privilege to serve you. Throughout this journey, my wife and children have been an incredible support system. From the long hours and the busy schedules, they have stood by my side every step of the way and for that I will be forever grateful to them. My family and I appreciate the support and confidence you have shown us. Thank you, and may God continue to bless you and this great state.
Sen. Chip Pearson serves as chairman of the Economic Development Committee. He represents the 51st Senate District which includes Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Pickens, and Union counties and portions of Forsyth and White counties. He may be reached at 404.656.9221 or via e-mail at chip.pearson@senate.ga.gov.
COLUMN
For Immediate Release:
January 4, 2011
For Information Contact:
Natalie Strong, Director
Kallarin Richards, Deputy Director
kallarin.richards@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028