# 144th Georgia General Assembly

The first regular session of the 144th General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia met from Monday, January 13, 1997, at 10:00 am, to Monday, March 28, 1997, at which time both houses adjourned sine die.
The second regular session of the Georgia General Assembly opened at 10:00 am on Monday, January 12, 1998, and adjourned sine die on Thursday, March 19, 1998.

## Officers
### Senate
#### Presiding Officer

| Position | Name | Party | District |
| President | Pierre Howard | Democrat | n/a |
| President Pro Tempore | Sonny Perdue | Democrat | 18 |

#### Majority leadership

| Position | Name | District |
| Senate Majority Leader | Charles Walker | 22 |
| Majority Caucus Chairman | Nathan Dean | 31 |
| Majority Whip | Richard O. Marable | 52 |

#### Minority leadership

| Position | Name | District |
| Senate Minority Leader | Chuck Clay | 37 |
| Minority Caucus Chairman | Casey Cagle | 49 |
| Minority Whip | Eric Johnson | 1 |

### House of Representatives
#### Presiding Officer

| Position | Name | Party | District |
| Speaker of the House | Tom Murphy | Democrat | 18 |
| Speaker Pro Tempore | Jack Connell | Democrat | 115 |

#### Majority leadership

| Position | Name | District |
| House Majority Leader | Larry Walker | 141 |
| Majority Whip | Jimmy Skipper | 137 |
| Majority Caucus Chairman | Bill Lee | 94 |
| Majority Caucus Secretary | LaNett Stanley-Turner | 50 |

#### Minority Leadership

| Position | Name | District |
| House Minority Leader | Bob Irvin | 45 |
| Minority Whip | Earl Ehrhart | 36 |
| Minority Caucus Chairman | Mike Evans | 28 |
| Minority Caucus Vice Chairman | Garland Pinholster | 15 |
| Minority Caucus Secretary | Anne Mueller | 152 |

## Members of the Georgia State Senate, 1997–1998

| District | Senator | Party | Residence |
| 1 | Eric Johnson | Republican | Savannah |
| 2 | Diana Harvey Johnson | Democratic | Savannah |
| 3 | Rene 'D. Kemp | Democratic | Hinesville |
| 4 | Jack Hill | Democratic | Reidsville |
| 5 | Joseph A. Burton | Republican | Atlanta |
| 6 | Edward E. Boshears | Republican | Brunswick |
| 7 | Peg Blitch | Democratic | Homerville |
| 8 | Loyce W. Turner | Democratic | Valdosta |
| 9 | Don Balfour | Republican | Lilburn |
| 10 | Nadine Thomas | Democratic | Ellenwood |
| 11 | Harold J. Ragan | Democratic | Cairo |
| 12 | Mark Taylor | Democratic | Albany |
| 13 | Rooney L. Bowen | Republican | Cordele |
| 14 | George Hooks | Democratic | Americus |
| 15 | Ed Harbison | Democratic | Columbus |
| 16 | Clay Land | Republican | Columbus |
| 17 | Mike Crotts | Republican | Conyers |
| 18 | Sonny Perdue | Democratic | Bonaire |
| 19 | Van Streat | Democratic | Nicholls |
| 20 | Hugh M. Gillis Sr. | Democratic | Soperton |
| 21 | Robert LaMutt | Republican | Marietta |
| 22 | Charles W. Walker | Democratic | Augusta |
| 23 | Don Cheeks | Democratic | Augusta |
| 24 | Joey Brush | Republican | Appling |
| 25 | Floyd Griffin | Democratic | Milledgeville |
| 26 | Robert Brown | Democratic | Macon |
| 27 | Ed Gochenour | Republican | Macon |
| 28 | Rick Price | Republican | Fayetteville |
| 29 | Steve Langford | Democratic | LaGrange |
| 30 | Sam P. Roberts | Republican | Douglasville |
| 31 | Nathan Dean | Democratic | Rockmart |
| 32 | Charlie Tanksley | Republican | Marietta |
| 33 | Steve Thompson | Democratic | Powder Springs |
| 34 | Pam Glanton | Republican | Riverdale |
| 35 | Donzella J. James | Democratic | College Park |
| 36 | David Scott | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 37 | Chuck Clay | Republican | Marietta |
| 38 | Ralph David Abernathy III | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 39 | Vincent D. Fort | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 40 | Michael J. Egan | Republican | Atlanta |
| 41 | James W. (Jim) Tysinger | Republican | Atlanta |
| 42 | Mary Margaret Oliver | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 43 | Connie Stokes | Democratic | Decatur |
| 44 | Terrell Starr | Democratic | Forest Park |
| 45 | A.C. (Bob) Guhl | Republican | Social Circle |
| 46 | Paul C. Broun Sr. | Democratic | Athens |
| 47 | Eddie Madden | Democratic | Elberton |
| 48 | Bill Ray | Republican | Lawrenceville |
| 49 | Casey Cagle | Republican | Gainesville |
| 50 | Guy Middleton | Democratic | Dahlonega |
| 51 | David Ralston | Republican | Blue Ridge |
| 52 | Richard O. Marable | Democratic | Rome |
| 53 | Waymond "Sonny" Huggins | Democratic | LaFayette |
| 54 | Don R. Thomas | Republican | Dalton |
| 55 | Steve Henson | Democratic | Stone Mountain |
| 56 | Tom Price | Republican | Roswell |

## Members of the Georgia State House of Representatives, 1997–1998

| District | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 1 | Brian D. Joyce | Republican | Lookout Mountain |
| 2 | Mike Snow | Democratic | Chickamauga |
| 3 | William H. H. Clark | Republican | Ringgold |
| 4 | J .Allen Hammontree | Republican | Dalton |
| 5 | Harold Mann | Republican | Dalton |
| 6 | Charles Judy Poag | Democratic | Eton |
| 7 | Ben N. Whitaker | Republican | East Ellijay |
| 8 | Ralph Twiggs | Democratic | Hiawassee |
| 9 | Benjamin Bridges | Republican | Cleveland |
| 10 | Tom E. Shanahan | Democratic | Calhoun |
| 11 | Tim Perry | Democratic | Summerville |
| 12 | Paul E. Smith | Democratic | Rome |
| 13 | Buddy Childers | Democratic | Rome |
| 14 | Jeff Lewis | Republican | White |
| 15 | Garland Pinholster | Republican | Ball Ground |
| 16 | Steve Stancil | Republican | Canton |
| 17 | Chuck F. Scheid III | Republican | Woodstock |
| 18 | Thomas B. Murphy | Democratic | Bremen |
| 19 | Clint Smith | Republican | Dawsonville |
| 20 | Carl Rogers | Democratic | Gainesville |
| 21 | James Mills | Republican | Gainesville |
| 22 | Jeanette Jamieson | Democratic | Toccoa |
| 23 | Alan Powell | Democratic | Hartwell |
| 24 | Ralph T. Hudgens | Republican | Hull |
| 25 | Scott Tolbert | Republican | Pendergrass |
| 26 | Glenn Richardson | Republican | Dallas |
| 27 | Bill Cummings | Democratic | Rockmart |
| 28 | Mike A. Evans | Republican | Cumming |
| 29 | Randy J. Sauder | Republican | Smyrna |
| 30 | Frank Bradford | Republican | Smyrna |
| 31 | Sharon Cooper | Republican | Marietta |
| 32 | Judy Manning | Republican | Marietta |
| 33 | Roy E. Barnes | Democratic | Mableton |
| 34 | John Wiles | Republican | Kennesaw |
| 35 | George H. Grindley Jr. | Republican | Marietta |
| 36 | Earl Ehrhart | Republican | Powder Springs |
| 37 | Mitchell Adam Kaye Sr. | Republican | Marietta |
| 38 | Kem W. Shipp | Republican | Kennesaw |
| 39 | Bobby Franklin | Republican | Marietta |
| 40 | Don Parsons | Republican | Marietta |
| 41 | Mark Burkhalter | Republican | Alpharetta |
| 42 | Tom Campbell | Republican | Roswell |
| 43 | Dorothy Felton | Republican | Atlanta |
| 44 | Sharon R. Tense | Republican | Atlanta |
| 45 | Bob Irvin | Republican | Atlanta |
| 46 | Kathy Ashe | Republican | Atlanta |
| 47 | Jim Martin | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 48 | Grace W. Davis | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 49 | Pamela Stanley | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 50 | LaNett L. Stanley | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 51 | James E. "Billy" McKinney | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 52 | Henrietta M. Canty | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 53 | Bob Holmes | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 54 | Tyrone Brooks | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 55 | Joe Heckstall | Democratic | East Point |
| 56 | Nan Grogan Orrock | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 57 | Georganna T. Sinkfield | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 58 | Sharon Beasley-Teague | Democratic | Red Oak |
| 59 | Bart Ladd | Republican | Doraville |
| 60 | J. Max Davis | Republican | Atlanta |
| 61 | Doug Teper | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 62 | Tom Sherrill | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 63 | Betty Jo Williams | Republican | Atlanta |
| 64 | Arnold Ragas | Democratic | Stone Mountain |
| 65 | Michele D. Henson | Democratic | Stone Mountain |
| 66 | June Hegstrom | Democratic | Scottdale |
| 67 | Mike Polak | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 68 | JoAnn McClinton | Democratic | Atlanta |
| 69 | Barbara J. Mobley | Democratic | Decatur |
| 70 | Thurbert E. Baker | Democratic | Decatur |
| 71 | Vernon Jones | Democratic | Decatur |
| 72 | George Maddox | Democratic | Decatur |
| 73 | Henrietta E. Turnquest | Democratic | Decatur |
| 74 | Barbara J. Bunn | Republican | Conyers |
| 75 | Earl O'Neal | Democratic | Conyers |
| 76 | Scott Dix | Republican | Stone Mountain |
| 77 | Charles E. Bannister | Republican | Lilburn |
| 78 | Dr. Roland A. (Ron) Crews | Republican | Norcross |
| 79 | Tom Rice | Republican | Norcross |
| 80 | Brooks P. Coleman Jr. | Republican | Duluth |
| 81 | Ralph L. Johnson | Republican | Duluth |
| 82 | Mike Coan | Republican | Lawrenceville |
| 83 | Jeffrey L. "Jeff" Williams | Republican | Snellville |
| 84 | Jere Johnson | Republican | Grayson |
| 85 | Keith Breedlove | Republican | Buford |
| 86 | Warren Massey | Republican | Winder |
| 87 | Len Walker | Republican | Loganville |
| 88 | Louise McBee | Democratic | Athens |
| 89 | Keith G. Heard | Democratic | Athens |
| 90 | Tom McCall | Democratic | Elberton |
| 91 | Frank Stancil | Democratic | Bogart |
| 92 | Denny Dobbs | Democratic | Covington |
| 93 | Frank I. Bailey, Jr. | Democratic | Riverdale |
| 94 | Bill Lee | Democratic | Forest Park |
| 95 | Gail M. Buckner | Democratic | Jonesboro |
| 96 | Jimmy Benefield | Democratic | Jonesboro |
| 97 | Greg Hecht | Democratic | Jonesboro |
| 98 | Tom Worthan | Republican | Lithia Springs |
| 99 | Bob Snelling | Republican | Douglasville |
| 100 | Tracy Stallings | Democratic | Carrollton |
| 101 | Jack E. West | Democratic | Bowdon |
| 102 | Vance Smith Jr. | Republican | Pine Mountain |
| 103 | Lynn Ratigan Smith | Republican | Newnan |
| 104 | Lynn Westmoreland | Republican | Tyrone |
| 105 | Dan Lakly | Republican | Peachtree City |
| 106 | John P. Yates | Republican | Griffin |
| 107 | Bill Sanders | Republican | Griffin |
| 108 | Steve Cash | Republican | Stockbridge |
| 109 | Larry Smith | Democratic | Jackson |
| 110 | Curtis S. Jenkins | Democratic | Forsyth |
| 111 | Mickey Channell | Democratic | Greensboro |
| 112 | Wm. S. (Bill) Jackson | Republican | Appling |
| 113 | Ben L. Harbin | Republican | Martinez |
| 114 | Robin L. Williams | Republican | Augusta |
| 115 | Jack Connell | Democratic | Augusta |
| 116 | Alberta J. Anderson | Democratic | Waynesboro |
| 117 | Ben Allen | Democratic | Augusta |
| 118 | Henry L. Howard | Democratic | Augusta |
| 119 | George L. DeLoach | Republican | Hephzibah |
| 120 | Helen G. "Sistie" Hudson | Democratic | Sparta |
| 121 | Jimmy Lord | Democratic | Sandersville |
| 122 | Bobby Eugene Parham | Democratic | Milledgeville |
| 123 | Ken Birdsong | Democratic | Gordon |
| 124 | David E. Lucas Sr. | Democratic | Macon |
| 125 | David Baugh Graves | Republican | Macon |
| 126 | Robert A. B. Reichert | Democratic | Macon |
| 127 | William C. (Billy) Randall | Democratic | Macon |
| 128 | Robert F. Ray | Democratic | Fort Valley |
| 129 | Mack Crawford | Republican | Zebulon |
| 130 | Jeff Brown | Republican | LaGrange |
| 131 | Carl Von Epps | Democratic | LaGrange |
| 132 | Ronnie Culbreth | Republican | Columbus |
| 133 | Carolyn Fleming Hugley | Democratic | Columbus |
| 134 | Maretta Mitchell Taylor | Democratic | Columbus |
| 135 | Tom Buck | Democratic | Columbus |
| 136 | Calvin Smyre | Democratic | Columbus |
| 137 | Jimmy Skipper | Democratic | Americus |
| 138 | Johnny W. Floyd | Democratic | Cordele |
| 139 | Pam Bohannon | Republican | Warner Robins |
| 140 | Lynmore James | Democratic | Montezuma |
| 141 | Larry Walker | Democratic | Perry |
| 142 | Terry Coleman | Democratic | Eastman |
| 143 | DuBose Porter | Democratic | Dublin |
| 144 | Larry J. "Butch" Parrish | Democratic | Swainsboro |
| 145 | James L. "Jim" Martin | Republican | Stateboro |
| 146 | Bob Lane | Democratic | Stateboro |
| 147 | Ann R. Purcell | Democratic | Rincon |
| 148 | Regina Thomas | Democratic | Savannah |
| 149 | Dorothy B. Pelote | Democratic | Savannah |
| 150 | Sonny Dixon | Democratic | Garden City |
| 151 | Tom Bordeaux | Democratic | Savannah |
| 152 | Anne Mueller | Republican | Savannah |
| 153 | Burke Day | Republican | Tybee Island |
| 154 | Terry E. Barnard | Republican | Glennville |
| 155 | Fisher Barfoot | Democratic | Vidalia |
| 156 | Newt Hudson | Democratic | Rochelle |
| 157 | Ray Holland | Democratic | Ashburn |
| 158 | Gerald E. Greene | Democratic | Cuthbert |
| 159 | Bob Hanner | Democratic | Parrott |
| 160 | Dan E. Ponder | Democratic | Donalsonville |
| 161 | Winfred J. Dukes | Democratic | Albany |
| 162 | Lawrence R. Robers | Democratic | Albany |
| 163 | H. Doug Everett | Republican | Albany |
| 164 | A. Richard Royal | Democratic | Camilla |
| 165 | Austin Scott | Republican | Tifton |
| 166 | Hanson R. Carter | Democratic | Nashville |
| 167 | Chuck Sims | Democratic | Ambrose |
| 168 | Harry D. Dixon | Democratic | Waycross |
| 169 | Tommy Smith | Democratic | Alma |
| 170 | Roger C. Byrd | Democratic | Hazlehurst |
| 171 | Hinson Mosley | Democratic | Jesup |
| 172 | Buddy DeLoach | Republican | Hinesville |
| 173 | E. C. Tillman | Democratic | Brunswick |
| 174 | Stephen G. Scarlett | Republican | St. Simons Island |
| 175 | Charlie Smith Jr. | Democratic | St. Marys |
| 176 | Jay Shaw | Democratic | Lakeland |
| 177 | Tim Golden | Democratic | Valdosta |
| 178 | Henry L. Reaves | Democratic | Quitman |
| 179 | Kermit F. "K" Bates Jr. | Democratic | Bainbridge |
| 180 | Theo Titus | Republican | Thomasville |