GDA Action January 2025

The 2025 Legislative Session will begin on January 13th, 2025. This year is the first year of the biennial, meaning any legislation that is not passed by the end of these legislative 40 days will still be active for the 2026 Legislative Session. In the 2025 Legislative Session, the Georgia Dental Association will focus on teledentistry, tort reform, Medicaid reimbursement, and centralized continuing education. The Georgia Dental Association’s Government Relations team has been hard at work creating a plan for the 2025 session to cultivate an environment that will allow us to be successful in our legislative asks and protect best practices. During the 2024 off-season, the Government Relations team at GDA has met with key leaders to ensure that the priorities of our member dentists are heard, and we have set a game plan to ensure a successful legislative session. These key leaders include Chairman Lee Hawkins, Representative John Carson, and policy leaders in the Governor’s Office. GDA is working to make sure that all our champions in the legislature are prepared and equipped with data and facts to back up our efforts. Each of our Dental Districts hosted legislative receptions during the off-season where they were joined by their respective legislators, district members, and GDA leadership. These receptions allow our members to spend time with their legislators, forming relationships and providing some insight into our 2025 legislative goals. After one of the most contentious elections in recent history, the Georgia legislature remains in Republican control. The House Republicans hold a solid majority, 100-80, and the Senate Republicans hold the same margin as last year, 33-23. The House and Senate Majority Leadership will remain the same with Rep. Jon Burns as Speaker of the House and Sen. John F. Kennedy as the Senate President Pro Tempore. With both House and Senate minority leaders retiring, minority caucuses selected new leadership. The Senate elected Sen. Harold Jones II as the Senate Minority Leader, with Sen. Elena Parent remaining the Minority Caucus Chair and Sen. Kim Jackson becoming the Minority Whip. The House Minority Caucus elected Rep. Carolyn Hugley as the House Minority Leader as well as Rep. Tanya Miller to serve as the Minority Caucus Chair, replacing Rep. Billy Mitchell who is still serving in the legislature. Rep. Sam Park will continue to serve as the Minority Whip. The Georgia Dental Association will be publishing weekly legislative updates on our website. You will be able to find information on what legislation we are supporting, what legislation we are fighting off, what is happening with state budgets, and everything else happening under the gold dome. VISIT gadental.org/legislativeinsider or SCAN the QR code! Legislative Insider Become a Contact Dentist! Visit gadental.org/contactdentist to learn more! 14 | Jan 2025

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