Georgia lawmakers kick off 2023 session with new House speaker, UGA football on their minds

State Rep. Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, was quickly elected speaker Monday on the first day of the new legislative session. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

The state Capitol was bustling Monday with first-day-of-school energy as lawmakers returned to Atlanta for this year’s legislative session.

The General Assembly got off to a quick start, swiftly electing a new speaker after the death of longtime House Speaker David Ralston in November.

There was another reason for the fast tempo, though: Some lawmakers planned to hop on a plane to attend what turned out to be a Georgia Bulldogs national championship beatdown in Los Angeles  Monday night against the TCU Horned Frogs.