The state’s legislative session will kick off the same day Georgia plays TCU in the college football championship. But don’t expect state lawmakers to keep a heavy workload as the Bulldogs prepare to defend their title.
The 40-day session will begin as scheduled on Monday, Jan. 9, when lawmakers are set to be formally sworn-in and then vote to elect leaders of each chamber. They’re expected to adjourn around noon, hours before Georgia and TCU meet in Los Angeles for the championship.
There’s also set to be a light schedule on Jan. 10 to give legislators, state officials and others time to return from the West Coast. Some officials say they expect at least a dozen lawmakers to attend the game, along with lobbyists, aides and other political figures.
The annual Eggs & Issues breakfast, often a platform to roll out economic policies, will be held on Jan. 11. And Gov. Brian Kemp – an Athens native and diehard Bulldog fan — built a three-day cushion into the schedule by setting his inauguration for Thursday, Jan. 12.
The governor’s annual State of the State address – which usually takes place in the opening days of the Legislature – won’t be held this year until Jan. 25.
State officials have prepared for this possibility for weeks, mindful there are scores of UGA alums from both sides of the aisle under the Gold Dome. Georgia’s thrilling New Year’s Eve win over Ohio State cemented the team’s place in next week’s title bout.
It won’t be the first time legislative leaders have taken steps to accommodate Georgia fans.
In 2018, lawmakers quickly adjourned the first day of the legislative session ahead of Georgia’s championship game against Alabama, which that year was played in Atlanta.
(Senate lawmakers “called the Dawgs” to close out the day, while House members watched a Bulldog highlight reel from the chamber floor before calling it quits.)
And last year, the Legislature went on temporary hiatus as many red-and-black clad legislators bolted shortly after the opening gavel to travel to Indianapolis to watch UGA win its first national football championship in about four decades.
The light scheduling prompted mild grumbling from Democratic legislators who questioned whether GOP leaders had their priorities in the right place. Others cautioned restraint.
Eric Teusink, a Democratic attorney and donor, took to Twitter to plead that others “not start whining” about the rearranged schedule.
“Our New Year’s Resolution should be to stop acting like we’re too good for the things Georgians love,” he wrote.
Georgia Democratic friends, I am begging, do not start whining on this app about the legislative session being delayed or mildly truncated because of the National Championship.
— Eric Teusink (@EricTeusink) January 1, 2023
Our New Year's Resolution should be to stop acting like we're too good for the things Georgians love.
