EVENT SCHEDULE as of November 6, 2020
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Registration Conference Registration Desk, Atrium
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Primer on State Government and the Legislative and Budget Processes — New Members Athena Ballroom
Presenters: Laura Meadows David Tanner Jeff McCord Eric Robinson Carl Vinson Institute of Government University of Georgia
Rick Ruskell Legislative Counsel
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Budget Update – Members only
House Members Grand Hall
Speakers: Rep. Terry England, Chair House Appropriations Committee
Martha Wigton, Director House Budget and Research Office
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Budget Update – Members only
Senate Members Athena Ballroom
Speakers: Sen. Blake Tillery, Chair Senate Committee on Appropriations
Melody DeBussey, Director Senate Budget and Evaluation Office
4:00 p.m. Opening Plenary Session Grand Hall
Presiding: Laura Meadows, Director Carl Vinson Institute of Government University of Georgia
National Anthem: Lauren Covington, Student Music Education Major President & Student Director, African American Choral Ensemble, University of Georgia
Welcome: Jere W. Morehead, President University of Georgia
Introduction of New Legislators
Geoff Duncan, Lieutenant Governor
David Ralston, Speaker of the House
Keynote Address:
Malcolm Mitchell University of Georgia, BA ‘15 Super Bowl Champion and Author
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
6:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration Conference Registration Desk, Atrium
7:30 a.m. Breakfast: Update on Georgia’s Broadband Maps Grand Hall
Moderator: Eric McRae Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Speakers: Christopher Nunn, Commissioner Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Calvin Rhodes, Executive Director and State Chief Information Officer Georgia Technology Authority
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Plenary Session: The Legislative Branch: Powers Vested in the General Assembly Grand Hall
Moderator: Laura Meadows Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Speakers: Richard C. Ruskell, Legislative Counsel Office of Legislative Counsel
Charles J. Bethel, Justice Supreme Court of Georgia
Dawn M. Jones, President State Bar of Georgia
Panelists: Sen. Harold Jones Rep. Trey Kelley, Chair House Special Committee on Access to the Civil Justice System
10:00 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Plenary Session: Opportunities in Rural Georgia Grand Hall
Moderator: Greg Wilson Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Speakers: Barbara Rivera Holmes, President & CEO Albany Chamber of Commerce
Jean Sumner, B.S.N., M.S.N., M.D., Dean Mercer School of Medicine
Panelists: Rep. Rick Jasperse, Chair House Education Committee Co-Chair, House Rural Development Council
Sen. Dean Burke, Chair Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Community Health
12:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Luncheon Grand Hall 8
Presiding: David Ralston, Speaker of the House
Invocation: Rep. Randy Nix
Speaker: Brian Kemp, Governor
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Plenary Session: The Georgia Lottery and Other Gaming Revenue Opportunities Grand Hall
Moderator: Beverly Johnson Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Speakers: Cynthia D. Wright, Senior Judge Fulton County Superior Court
Gretchen Corbin, President and CEO Georgia Lottery Corporation
Panelists: Rep. Alan Powell, Chair House Regulated Industries Committee
Rep. Calvin Smyre
Sen. Bill Cowsert, Chair Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee
Sen. John Kennedy
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Plenary Session: Tax Expenditures: Exemptions and Credits Grand Hall
Moderator: Ted Baggett Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Speakers: Laura Wheeler, Associate Director Center for State and Local Finance Georgia State University
Jackson Brainerd, Policy Specialist National Conference of State Legislatures
John Hamman, Senior Associate, State Fiscal Health The Pew Charitable Trusts
Panelists: Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, Chair Senate Finance Committee
House Panelist
4:00 p.m. Break
4:15 p.m. Caucus Meetings – Members only
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
7:30 a.m. Breakfast: Elections Analysis Grand Hall
Moderator: Eric Robinson Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Speaker: Charles Bullock, University Professor of Public and International Affairs University of Georgia
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Plenary Session: Policy Sprint Grand Hall
Moderator: Mara Shaw Carl Vinson Institute of Government
I. Where the Sun Shines: Georgia’s Solar Future
Speakers: Tim Echols, Vice-Chairman Georgia Public Service Commission
Jason Shaw, Commissioner Georgia Public Service Commission
Wilson Mallard, Director of Renewable Development Georgia Power
II. Under the Influence: Alcoholic Beverage Laws
Speakers: Michele Stumpe, Partner Taylor English
Heather Morton, Program Principal National Conference of State Legislatures
III. After the Census: A Redistricting Primer
Speaker: Gina Wright, Executive Director Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Plenary Session: Lessons from a Pandemic Grand Hall
Moderator: David Tanner Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Speakers: Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner Georgia Department of Public Health
James C. Stallings, Director Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency
Frank W. Berry, Commissioner Georgia Department of Community Health
Richard Woods, State School Superintendent Georgia Department of Education
12:00 p.m. Luncheon Grand Hall 8
Presiding: Geoff Duncan, Lieutenant Governor
Invocation: Sen. Tonya Anderson
Speaker: Steve W. Wrigley, Chancellor University System of Georgia
2:00 p.m. Adjourn