Know your House and Senate leaders for the 2025 legislative session

The 2025 legislative session begins Monday, and to follow the action you have to know the players.

Why it matters: The following folks, along with lawmakers who chair House and Senate committees, are some of the key people setting the pace of this year's 40-day legislative session.

Zoom in: For obvious reasons, we start with Republicans Gov. Brian Kemp, the most powerful Republican in Georgia, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who presides over the Senate and is all but in the race to succeed Kemp.

State House

Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington): This year's session will be Burns' third leading the House. Elected by the majority party members, Burns has the final say on what legislation lives and dies in the lower chamber.

Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton), speaker pro tem: The long-serving North Fulton lawmaker acts as second in command under Burns, and was briefly the first female speaker after David Ralston's death in 2022.

Rep. Chuck Efstration (R-Mulberry), majority leader: The Gwinnett County lawyer, a potential candidate for Georgia attorney general, leads the House Republicans.

Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), minority leader: A steady presence in the House for more than three decades, Hugley must wrangle dozens of Democrats to play defense against GOP bills and offense when possible.

Rep. Sam Park (D-Lawrenceville), minority whip: The first openly gay man elected to the Georgia General Assembly, Park "whips" up Democratic votes to advance party priorities.

State Senate

Sen. John F. Kennedy (R-Macon), president pro tempore: The Middle Georgia lawyer is the Senate's second in command and oversaw the chamber's 2021 redistricting efforts.

Sen. Steve Gooch (R-Dahlonega), majority leader: The Lumpkin County businessman joined the Senate in 2010 and is a staunch supporter of the MAGA movement.

Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula), majority whip: The former sheriff's deputy from southwest Georgia closely follows legislation affecting law enforcement and the prison system.

Sen. Harold Jones II (D-Augusta), minority leader: An attorney from Augusta, Jones begins his first session leading the Democrats' push for Medicaid expansion and other progressive issues.

Sen. Kim Jackson (D-Stone Mountain), minority whip: The Stone Mountain priest proposes progressive counterpoints to GOP legislation on criminal justice issues.

Worthy of your time: Visit the Secretary of State My Voter Page to find your state representative and senator.

• Enter your information and click the "My Districts and Elected Officials" tab to see who represents you in the General Assembly.