House Speaker Jon Burns defended the push to create oversight boards for local prosecutors, touted ongoing efforts to improve access to mental health services in Georgia and seemed to open the door for sports betting in this session in remarks at an Atlanta Press Club event to start again on Thursday.
This is Burns’ first term as Speaker, and he has taken the helm as a new Lieutenant Governor also chairs the Senate building. The new leadership meant a slow start to legislation under the Gold Dome and what has been a relatively quiet session so far compared to the noisy years of recent years.
But this year’s session, which ends later this month, was not without its conflicts.
Proposals have been made to create oversight boards for prosecutors bitterly discussed in both chambers and raised concerns that the actions are in response to the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation The actions of former President Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election.
Burns denied any connection to the Fulton County grand jury’s special investigation, arguing that the push for oversight preceded Willis’s work. Proponents argue that the ability to remove wayward prosecutors outside of an election is needed when they are neglecting their duties.
“We just want them to abide by the law and apply it equally to every Georgian,” Burns said. “We just can’t throw the rule of law overboard because ‘I don’t like it.’ That’s just not how we do business in this state. If we do that, there will be anarchy.”
He wasn’t referring to any specific issue, but argued that those who disagree with a state law should work to change it rather than flaunt it.
sports betting
Burns also signaled that it might be too early to pull down the curtain on this year’s push to legalize sports betting in Georgia. The problem seemed doomed for this year after the Senate rejected two measures and Burns declined to call a House bill for a vote on Crossover Day.
“Monday night might not have been the right time, the best time for sports betting,” Burns said. “But you know, last time I checked, we have a 40-day session and we’re going to have a 40-day session this year.
“We don’t close the door on anything. We will continue to talk, we will continue to educate, and I will continue to do what I am committed to, which is to listen to my members,” Burns said.
He said promoting the state’s Pre-K program, which is funded by the lottery, would be an important benefit in legalizing sports betting.
behavioral health
Burns has also supported continued work to improve access to behavioral health care, which was a priority for his predecessor, the late Speaker David Ralston. A measure Building on a bill passed last year cleared the house last week and is now being examined in the Senate.
Several elements of this year’s bill focus on identifying the gaps in Georgia’s workforce and crisis care network, while assessing the dynamics that lead some people to pass through the system and often end up on the streets.
The results of those studies — due by the end of the year — will help create a plan for next year that Burns says must be affordable yet effective.
“One of my favorite sayings is that Rome was not built in a day and we will not achieve everything we want to achieve – what we need to achieve – in terms of providing and supporting the mental health of Georgians in a year. ‘ Burns said.
