NEWINGTON — Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns is used to working through storms. His third-generation timber farm has been hit by hurricanes, market drops and even trade policy changes that make life as a Georgia farmer an up-and-down affair.
A drive across his South Georgia property winds past towering pine trees, but also piles of oaks downed by Hurricane Helene in 2024, a reminder that storm has never really passed in some parts of the state.
His path to the speakership followed a different kind of whirlwind, ascending to his role in 2022 after the unexpected death of his mentor and friend, David Ralston.
A Republican, Burns has stayed atop the House through Democratic and Republican rule in the White House, skirmishes between the House and Republican-led Senate, and the tumultuous relationship between Gov. Brian Kemp and President Donald Trump.
As the Legislature gavels into session Monday, Burns will also be the only top leader in the State Capitol who is not planning to move up or out of his current job. With Kemp completing his final year in office and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger all running against each other in the race to replace Kemp, it sets Burns up to be “the steady statesman in the House,” said former aide Stephen Lawson.
“With all of the variables and all of the unknowns and all of the musical chairs, on both the Democratic side and the Republican side, that’s the role I think he’ll play.”
State Rep. Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin, described Burns as both decisive and a consensus builder.
“The door is open to everybody. He gathers the facts and makes his decisions based on facts,” he said. “I don’t know how you can ask for more than that.”
And he predicted the speaker will be a steadying force in a raucous election year.
Burns laid out his priorities for the year in an interview at his farm ahead of the session. He said that staying focused on cost-of-living issues, while keeping the state budget in the black, will be his main objective.
“Something that impacts every family in Georgia is property tax reform. That’s got a big ‘affordability’ beside it,” he said. While the details haven’t been announced, increasing the homestead exemption is one idea that’s been floated.
Cutting property taxes puts the House on a collision course with the state Senate, where Lt. Gov. Jones already has a plan to eliminate the state income tax altogether for most Georgians. Cutting both at the same time would be difficult for budget writers to accommodate.
“We’re anxiously awaiting the Senate’s plan on income tax,” Burns said. “The focus in the House is going to be on property taxes.”
Asked whether eliminating the income tax is a responsible policy proposal, Burns didn’t answer directly.
“We know that there are essential services that we must provide, and those resources have to come from the people of Georgia,” he said.
As important as property taxes will be for the House, Burns said his No. 1 issue will be improving literacy rates, a position informed by Dayle, his wife of 49 years who is also a former principal.
“The success of a young person, not only in the short run but in the long run, is their ability to read,” Burns said. “I think it’s one of the keys to a successful life and so many things in our society … and it’s something we can solve.”
Expanding pre-K in Georgia is one part of the solution, he said, while other efforts will go through schools, libraries and even hospitals.
On health care, Burns said it’s too soon to say how major cuts in Washington to Medicaid and insurance subsidies will impact what the state can and should do to respond. But his focus will be on expanding medical and dental schools to train more doctors, nurses and dentists.
“We believe that we can address those needs, and that’s how we bring health care to all Georgians,” he said. “But again, it’s going to take another investment.”
One area he did not list as a priority for the year was social issues like abortion restrictions or new gun laws.
“We have a lot of work do when it comes to this affordability issue, the affordability of health care, the cost of living in our state, so I think we have plenty to do there,” he said.
Along with passing bills, Burns’ other job as speaker is to help get his Republican members reelected in 2026, including a number who sit in districts like the one Democrats won in a special election last year.
Burns called the House District 121 loss a “perfect storm” of an off-year special election against a Democrat who ran the previous cycle and never really stopped making contact with voters.
“We need to just tell our story, inform the voters a little bit more fully about what we have done, and I think we will be fine in those areas,” Burns said. He added later, “I think it’s always good to get a little wake-up call.”
Between the politics, the policy, 180 members’ needs, the job of House speaker can look a little like a six-arm juggling act. But Burns has remained well-liked in the chamber, even by many Democrats.
“When there are disagreements, it’s on policy. It’s never personal,” said Democratic House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus. “I appreciate that and I think that’s the way it should be.”
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