ATHENS — House Speaker Jon Burns repeated his support for a measure to ban transgender girls from competing in girls sports in school but said he wouldn’t back other measures to impose restrictions on trans Georgians.
The Republican said the House would study an Arkansas-style Medicaid program, but his focus revolves around boosting federal-qualified health centers and increasing medical training rather than enacting a full-scale expansion that Gov. Brian Kemp firmly opposes.
And Burns downplayed the idea of broader election changes, such as an “instant runoffs” or limiting primaries to voters who register as party members, though he said legislators could take up some “tweaks” to election rules.
Burns outlined his approach to the upcoming legislative session in an interview Monday with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the Biennial Institute, a three-day session in Athens for new and returning lawmakers.
He told the AJC he endorses Kemp’s approach to Georgia’s growing surplus, which now tops $16.5 billion. The governor has said the surplus shouldn’t be used for recurring expenses, particularly amid recent reports of declining tax revenue.
And Burns expressed support for Kemp’s Pathways program, the governor’s signature health policy initiative that ties work and academic requirements to expanded health care coverage under Medicaid.
Burns, a Newington lawmaker, also discussed his approach to his third session as the House’s leader, a post that gives him vast influence over state policies and finances.
Here are excerpts from the interview, edited for clarity:
On his budget outlook:
“We’re in a good fiscal position, and we want to make sure we make great investments. … The governor has indicated he didn’t want recurring expenses and investments with that surplus, and we support that. We know that we’re looking at $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion in additional investments in transportation infrastructure, and that’s a key to quality of life.”
On Hurricane Helene aftermath:
“The other challenge we’re going to have now is a result of Helene. There will be additional costs that won’t be met by the federal government when it comes to cleanup on state highways, and that’s also a challenge with assisting our local governments.”
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
On his decision to support a ban on transgender girls from competing in high school girls sports:
“There are certain items that are important to Georgians we need to be proactive on. Boys in girls sports put girls at a disadvantage. These young women can train for years to be the top athlete in their class. We need to make sure we treat everyone fairly, but we also want to protect their time and effort. And to put them at a competitive disadvantage with a competitor is something we want to be proactive on.”
On whether he backs other legislation targeting transgender Georgians:
“No, we do not.”
On his stance on other social issues, including a potential push to revive “religious liberty” measures:
“We’ll do what we always do. We’ll have a robust conversation on any topic that a member of the House wants to bring up. And we’ll consider every one of those. We don’t shut the door on anything, and we’ll discuss anything that comes before us.”
On whether he supports reviving a conversation over Medicaid expansion:
“We’ll continue to look at the Arkansas-type model to see if there are some fits there for Georgia, and we’ll continue to be in conversation with Gov. Kemp’s office. They’ve given a great deal of study to the Pathways program, and certainly we recognize that — and we support what he’s doing there. We believe our job is to look at different alternatives on how you provide health care, so we’ll continue to do that.”
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
On calls for election changes, such as closed primaries or instant runoffs:
“I don’t anticipate any major changes. We had very successful elections in 2022 that ran very smoothly, and again in 2024. We believe we worked very diligently over the years to make sure we have open and transparent reliable elections, and I think the citizens of Georgia have recognized that. We’ll continue to learn from the administration of elections and we’ll listen to the grassroots. And we may make some tweaks, but I don’t see major overhauls coming.”
On whether he’ll back state-based immigration restrictions:
“Since Republicans control the White House, the Senate and the House, it would be nice to see changes on the federal level. We continue to stand where we always have. We support legal immigration, and we oppose illegal immigrants being here.”
On navigating the session with a 2026 race for top offices already underway:
“We’re focused on the job at hand. There are certainly people who are upwardly mobile, who want to move on to another position, but our job is about today. About what we can do this session to make Georgia better.”
On his broader goals for the session:
“I’m an eternal optimist, and I believe that we can — and we will, and we should — pull together everywhere we can. Certainly, there will be times of disagreement, but as we know from past history, the times of agreement, where we all work to move Georgia forward, have been much greater than times we disagree.”
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