Duluth State Representative Prepares for Legislation and Listening

It's almost time for Georgia's General Assembly to convene in 2014. And for one Gwinnett legislator, it means more than a trip to the Capitol building in Atlanta.

Rep. Brooks Coleman, whose district includes Duluth, will be holding town hall-style meetings in his district during the session, which begins Monday, Jan. 13.

His Duluth session will be at the venerable Rexall Grill on Buford Highway on Feb. 18, 6:30-8 p.m. (Coleman also holds town halls at this site weekly on Saturday morning.)

As you might expect, education matters are high in Coleman's priorities for the upcoming legislative session. A former educator, Coleman chairs the House Education Committee.

He noted that he held eight listening sessions all over the state in the past year, meeting with over 150 superintendents and about 1,500 teachers and parents.

And what he heard was a call to restore as much of recent "austerity cuts" as possible when the new budget is formed.

Also, the feeling among those constituents is that there is "too much testing" in schools, Coleman added.

Other top issues for the General Assembly include transportation, protecting Atlanta's drinking water source (Lake Lanier), and "jobs, jobs, jobs," Coleman said.

The General Assembly website is here.

-- What issues would you like to see the General Assembly address in 2014? Tell us in the comments below.