Veteran members of Glynn County’s delegation to the Georgia House of Representatives will head up two of the law-making body’s standing committees during the 2023-24 session.
And the county’s freshman House member, Rep. Rick Townsend, R-St. Simons Island, is already working on legislation he plans to introduce.
Rep. Buddy DeLoach, R-Townsend, senior member of the delegation, will chair the Ethics Committee and Rep. Steven Sainz, R-St. Marys, the Special Rules Committee.
“I’m delighted with that, and I hope we won’t have a lot of work to do,” DeLoach said, noting nothing is pending before the Ethics Committee at this time.
“It carries with it a heavy load of responsibility, and I really appreciate the speaker trusting me with that responsibility.”
The House Speaker has say over chair appointments.
Sainz feels honored by his leadership post.
“It is an honor to be one of the first Hispanic-American Georgians to serve as House committee leadership,” Sainz said. “This reflects the growing diversity of our Republican Majority Caucus and our General Assembly as a whole.”
Sainz represents Camden County and a part of Glynn County.
“I appreciate the confidence Speaker (Jon) Burns and my House colleagues have placed in me with this appointment,” he said. “Though my coastal community is one of the farthest from our state capitol, the continued priority of making the needs of Camden and Glynn County relevant to our state leaders remains.”
The chairmanship committees of DeLoach and Sainz are among a long list of appointments.
DeLoach is seated on nine committees, including Judiciary, where he is an ex-officio member. Sainz is a member of 10.
In addition to Ethics and Judiciary, DeLoach is serving on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Insurance, Juvenile Justice, Natural Resources & Environment, Reapportionment and Redistricting, Retirement, and Special Rules committees.
“That’s a lot of committees, but I have a reputation of reading every bill,” DeLoach said.
DeLoach says he reads enough of each bill to know which has a chance of going anywhere. He gives a full read to proposed legislation that does.
As for the 2023 session, DeLoach has several predictions.
“I have no doubt that the governor is going to respond to the lawlessness,” he said.
One recent lawless incident was the clash last week between police and protesters in Atlanta over the site of a proposed public safety training center. Protesters, referring to it as “cop city,” are living in tents in the woods on the site and have refused to leave.
“We’re going to do whatever we have to do to support our law enforcement,” DeLoach said. “We cannot lose civil order in this state, and I don’t think the governor is going to let that happen.”
Legislators also will continue to improve mental health services by expanding on legislation Rep. Don Hogan, R-St. Simons Island, championed and which passed the General Assembly last year, he said. Hogan retired from the law-making body at the end of 2022.
DeLoach’s district includes the western region of Glynn County, McIntosh and Long counties and a western slice of Liberty County.
In addition to Special Rules, Sainz is a member of the Appropriations, Creative Arts & Entertainment, Defense & Veterans Affairs, Governmental Affairs, Judiciary Non-Civil, Public Safety and Homeland Security, Technology and Infrastructure Innovation, and Ways and Means committees. He is secretary of the Economic Development & Tourism Committee.
Sainz, who chaired Special Rules last session, says he looks forward to serving with the vice chair, Rep. Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins, and other members.
“This session, we will remain committed to vetting and developing potential study committees to analyze emerging issues for Georgia citizens and considering resolutions that address our federal government’s actions in a way that best serves our state,” Sainz said.
The Special Rules committee hears legislation creating House and Joint study committees on various subjects and deals with supporting resolutions to Congress.
Townsend says he is working on legislation that would make it harder to get “an opioid” that is now available over the counter. Other states already have, he said.
“I’m gathering all the data I can so I can get a good bill,” Townsend said.
The News will withhold the name of the drug until legislation is introduced publicly identifying it.
Townsend was appointed to three committees, including Education and Special Rules. He will serve as secretary on the Natural Resources & Environment Committee.
“I was very fortunate,” he said. “I was able to get two out of the three I asked for.”
The two committees the former CEO of the Golden Isles College and Career Academy requested were Education and Natural Resources & Environment.
