Promotes "conservative business reforms that enable businesses large and small to be more efficient, more productive, and bring more opportunities to families in our district."

Believes "leveraging the world-class workforce emerging from our local technical colleges and universities...by partnering with local employers to hire from the pipeline of highly trained and highly skilled workers graduating from our schools."

Wants to "Pass impactful conservative business reforms - making it easier for our small businesses to hire, attract developing industries, and boost economic development with locally-based incentives."

Believes that "we should work hard to drive down the size of government."

Opposes tax increases and wants to reduce the state income tax to less than 5%.

- Promotes "conservative business reforms that enable businesses large and small to be more efficient, more productive, and bring more opportunities to families in our district."
- Believes "leveraging the world-class workforce emerging from our local technical colleges and universities...by partnering with local employers to hire from the pipeline of highly trained and highly skilled workers graduating from our schools."
- Wants to "Pass impactful conservative business reforms - making it easier for our small businesses to hire, attract developing industries, and boost economic development with locally-based incentives."
- Believes that "we should work hard to drive down the size of government."
- Opposes tax increases and wants to reduce the state income tax to less than 5%.

Economy

Supports "growing rural economies and supporting our leading industries like agriculture."

- Supports "growing rural economies and supporting our leading industries like agriculture."

Energy & the Environment

Fought for and "passed multiple healthcare reforms to lower costs and increase access for Georgians - and passed a 10% pay cut for politicians."

Opposes a government run single-payer health care system.

Wants to increase funding for rural hospitals, work with the House Rural Development Council to create "affordable care" for emergency services, and combat the "opioid crisis through increased access to life-saving treatment and recovery programs."

Wants to partner with local healthcare providers and state agencies to increase access and improve treatment for mental illness.

Wants to bolster "work requirement programs as part of a conservative framework for government healthcare assistance through Medicaid in order to scale back entitlement abuse."

Authored legislation to support substance abuse recovery and was named "Champion of Recovery" by the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.

- Fought for and "passed multiple healthcare reforms to lower costs and increase access for Georgians - and passed a 10% pay cut for politicians."
- Opposes a government run single-payer health care system.
- Wants to increase funding for rural hospitals, work with the House Rural Development Council to create "affordable care" for emergency services, and combat the "opioid crisis through increased access to life-saving treatment and recovery programs."
- Wants to partner with local healthcare providers and state agencies to increase access and improve treatment for mental illness.
- Wants to bolster "work requirement programs as part of a conservative framework for government healthcare assistance through Medicaid in order to scale back entitlement abuse."
- Authored legislation to support substance abuse recovery and was named "Champion of Recovery" by the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.
- Opposes abortion.

Healthcare

Plans to safeguard against federal overreach and pushing for smaller government with local control, so our local leaders can respond to the needs of our community without being encumbered by a top-down, bloated bureaucracy."

The candidate's website states, "Houston will work with veterans in the State House and our Georgia National Guard to cut taxes for our veterans, simplify housing transitions for military families, streamline the process to obtain education and professional licenses, and protect our military installations from federal cuts or relocation."

- Plans to safeguard against federal overreach and pushing for smaller government with local control, so our local leaders can respond to the needs of our community without being encumbered by a top-down, bloated bureaucracy."
- The candidate's website states, "Houston will work with veterans in the State House and our Georgia National Guard to cut taxes for our veterans, simplify housing transitions for military families, streamline the process to obtain education and professional licenses, and protect our military installations from federal cuts or relocation."

Voting & Elections

Opposes defunding the police and "spearheaded a bill to prohibit local governments from defunding the police."

Authored legislation targeting human trafficking and domestic violence.

Supports criminal justice reform and "will continue to support punishing society’s worst criminals while providing a path for rehabilitated inmates to find a job and become contributing members of society after serving their time."

Opposed to open borders, and supports conservative leaders who are committed to defunding sanctuary cities and deporting violent criminal illegal aliens."

- Opposes defunding the police and "spearheaded a bill to prohibit local governments from defunding the police."
- Authored legislation targeting human trafficking and domestic violence.
- Supports criminal justice reform and "will continue to support punishing society’s worst criminals while providing a path for rehabilitated inmates to find a job and become contributing members of society after serving their time."
- Opposes gun control.
- Opposed to open borders, and supports conservative leaders who are committed to defunding sanctuary cities and deporting violent criminal illegal aliens."

Public Safety

Passed a bill to provide paid parental leave for teachers and state employees.

Wants to reduce, "Excessive standardized testing [which] will allow our teachers to focus on teaching and our children to concentrate on learning. By taking these measures, we will increase local control and improve 3rd grade reading proficiency, cut dropout levels, and boost graduation rates.

Wants to increase technical training by "Improving the partnerships between local businesses, developing industries, and our technical colleges in the region."

- Passed a bill to provide paid parental leave for teachers and state employees.
- Wants to reduce, "Excessive standardized testing [which] will allow our teachers to focus on teaching and our children to concentrate on learning. By taking these measures, we will increase local control and improve 3rd grade reading proficiency, cut dropout levels, and boost graduation rates.
- Wants to increase technical training by "Improving the partnerships between local businesses, developing industries, and our technical colleges in the region."

Education

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Houston Gaines

Athens Politics Nerd: Andrew Ferguson

Supports higher corporate income taxes and a wealth tax.

Wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

- Supports higher corporate income taxes and a wealth tax.
- Wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Wants to address what he perceives to be climate issues.

- Wants to address what he perceives to be climate issues.

Supports Medicare-For-All and wants to establish healthcare with no co-pays or deductibles.

- Supports Medicare-For-All and wants to establish healthcare with no co-pays or deductibles.
- Supports abortion.

Wants to end cash bail, opposes the death penalty, and wants to decriminalize marijuana.

- Wants to end cash bail, opposes the death penalty, and wants to decriminalize marijuana.

Wants to involve the youth of Georgia in democratic processes.

- Wants to involve the youth of Georgia in democratic processes.

Andrew Ferguson

- Your state representative represents the interests of your local district in the Georgia State House of Representatives.
- Your state representative can author, sponsor, and vote on bills that may become state laws. All bills dealing with the state budget originate in the Georgia House of Representatives.
- The State House of Representatives, along with the State Senate, makes up our state lawmaking body: the Georgia General Assembly.
- There are 180 members of the Georgia House of Representatives, each representing a single district.
- State Representatives are elected to two-year terms. They are paid a yearly salary of $17,342. They only serve in the role part-time.