Eager freshman class seen and heard in Ga. Senate

ATLANTA - This year's crop of freshman senators didn't come to the Georgia Capitol to sit on the sidelines. By all accounts, they seem determined to make the most of their two years here, aggressively pushing and debating legislation and not shy about tackling tough issues from abortion to guns to alcohol sales. The freshman class particularly stands out in the Senate, where rookies make up a third of the chamber's Republican caucus.

They recognize that their vote is as valuable as any veteran's, and have unusual influence for newcomers.

"We've given them a lot of opportunity," said Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, who chairs the Rules Committee and is a 19-year veteran. "It's highly unusual. This is the most freshman bills that have been passed that I can remember."

Nearly two dozen freshmen-sponsored bills have cleared the Senate this session. President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams said senior senators have both helped and hazed the new class.

"It used to be where freshmen were kind of expected not to be engaged, but to listen," Williams said. "But the Senate turns over fairly rapidly. Because of that, we should engage them early."

Last year's wide-open election season, led by an opening for governor and all of Georgia's constitutional offices, cleared the way for dozens of new state legislators. The House welcomed 37 new lawmakers, but with 180 members, freshmen representatives must fight harder to be heard.

There are, however, some exceptions. State Rep. Rick Jasperse, a Republican from Jasper, won rave reviews from tea party activists for pushing through health care compact legislation, a rebuke to the federal health care law.

Democratic Rep. Elena Parent of Chamblee was a rare bright spot for her party in last year's elections, ousting a sitting Republican lawmaker in a GOP year.

In the Senate, 13 of the 56 members are first-timers, including 12 of the 36 GOP senators.

Not all are strangers to governing. Sen. Gail Davenport, D-Jonesboro, returned to the Senate after losing her seat in 2008. Some, like Sens. Fran Millar of Atlanta and Barry Loudermilk of Cassville, are former House members.

Others, like Sens. Frank Ginn of Danielsville and Rick Jeffares of Locust Grove, have served in county government. Still others, like Sen. Steve Gooch of Dahlonega, served on state boards.

And then there are those with other kinds of experience. Sen. Butch Miller holds the seat formerly held by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and current Gov. Nathan Deal, and is the only freshman to chair a committee. Facing an early test when he presided over the vote on the controversial Sunday alcohol sales referendum, the Gainesville Republican seemed to channel his skills as a car salesman in handling the issue.

Williams said he had his doubts when the proposal landed in Miller's committee, but was ultimately impressed when the bill sailed through.

"He's so much fun, but he's smart," Williams said of Miller. "There were some thoughts about moving that bill, but he said, 'I'm out here in left field. Somebody threw me the ball, and I'm going to catch it and play it.' That said to me that he was not intimidated."

Republican Sen. Joshua McKoon has passed six bills out of the Senate, including legislation that would require felony suspects to submit their DNA and a proposal to change the state's absentee balloting rules.

Sen. Jim Butterworth, R-Cornelia, had high praise for the Columbus attorney and the freshman class in general.

"McKoon's my pick: He's approachable, he listens, and he's willing to change his mind," said Butterworth, one of the governor's floor leaders. "The learning curve has been steep, but you want them to understand the process and you need them to step up quickly."

Freshmen have sponsored bills on several hot-button topics. Loudermilk, who keeps a copy of the U.S. Constitution and the Bible on his desk, took on abortion and guns this session, with mixed success.

"To me, it's whether an issue is right or wrong, not whether it's easy or hard," he said. "I was told you're given two years to be here and represent your district. If you don't do that, the voters will pick somebody else."

Gooch quipped that skittish veterans may have taken advantage of their inexperience.

"They may have dumped some things on us, like we didn't know any better," he said. "But the best way to learn is to do it."

Sen. Vincent Fort, an Atlanta Democrat first elected to the Senate in 1996, suggested that a vacuum of leadership in the chamber and the influence of state tea party groups may have given his freshman colleagues extra enthusiasm.

"Some of them came with specific ideological agendas," Fort said. "And from an outsider's point of view, when you don't have one central leader like the lieutenant governor, the dispersal of power gives the freshmen even more impact," he added, alluding to the creation this session of an eight-member leadership committee.

Tea Party Patriots State Coordinator Julianne Thompson said the group is happy with this year's freshmen.

"We do feel that they are the fiscal hawks and the constitutional warriors that they campaigned to be," Thompson said. "Only time will tell, and we will keep watching. But so far, so good."

Even Sen. Jason Carter of Decatur, the Senate's lone freshman Democrat, has jumped into the fray, shouldering the minority party's fight over the HOPE scholarship - easily one of the session's most contentious issues. Carter said he tried to keep a low profile, but it was hard not to get involved.

"Something came up that I cared about, and the leadership asked me to take a role," Carter said. "It's not a shy bunch."

Williams said he has also noticed freshmen being vocal in caucus meetings and before important votes. Some freshmen are not yet on board with outstanding issues like the proposed changes to the state tax code.

"It takes 29 votes to pass every bill," Williams noted. "They're half the votes you need. They understand that their vote is important."

Sen. Jeff Mullis, an 11-year veteran of the chamber, had other thoughts.

"They need a little more humility training," he grunted.

Sen. Charlie Bethel, a freshman and former city councilman from Dalton, said he is obligated to listen and speak his mind.

"Folks in my district expect me to represent them, too," Bethel said. "I have found myself in the role of persuading others, and I have found myself in the role of being persuaded. I think that's what we're here to do."

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