Members of the Georgia General Assembly convened at the University of Georgia Dec. 8-10 for the Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators. Coordinated by UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government to help lawmakers prepare for the next legislative cycle, this year marked the 34th Biennial Institute.
Incumbent and newly elected members of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Senate attended sessions at the UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel covering pertinent topics such as workforce challenges, economic development and health care. The three-day event culminated with a luncheon address by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Governor Brian Kemp addresses members of the Georgia General Assembly at the Biennial closing luncheon. (Photo by Shannah Montgomery).
The Biennial Institute officially began with welcoming remarks from UGA President Jere W. Morehead and Institute of Government Director Rob Gordon. Stuart Countess, president and CEO of Kia Georgia Inc. gave remarks on behalf of the events’ sponsors. Ben Nemtin, a motivational speaker and New York Times bestselling author, delivered the keynote address, which focused on making the impossible possible.
“The Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators is a notable example of UGA’s outreach, and we are certainly honored to have collaborated with the Georgia General Assembly for 66 years in organizing this conference,” Morehead said. “It has served as a model for legislative training across the nation, and we are proud of this trusted partnership.”
The first Biennial Institute was organized in 1958 to introduce new lawmakers to the legislative process and to present timely policy sessions for all attendees. It remains a highlight of the Georgia political calendar and is one of the longest-running educational and orientation programs for newly elected legislators in the country.
Before each Biennial Institute, state legislative leaders determine the agenda according to issues likely to come before the Georgia General Assembly. The Institute of Government then lends its expertise to facilitate sessions and coordinate speakers, including veteran lawmakers and staff, agency administrators and private sector leaders.
This year, legislators attended informative policy sessions featuring panels of state agency executives, legislative committee chairs and experts from industry, business and universities. Additional speakers included University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue and University Professor and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Charles S. Bullock III, who holds the Richard B. Russell Chair in Political Science at UGA.
“I want to thank President Morehead and the leadership here at this great institution and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government for the impact they’re making around our state and with the General Assembly,” said Speaker Jon Burns of the Georgia House of Representatives. “For both our new legislators and those of us who’ve been around for a while, this event is impactful to our service.”