Georgia House Speaker David Ralston says he understands voters’ frustration with Washington

LEESBURG — Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston rolled into the Grand Island Club this past weekend for a quick meet-and-greet, where he talked a bit about goings on in the General Assembly and the mood he’s sensing among the state’s voters.

“I always enjoy coming down here,” Ralston said. “One of the best parts of my job is being able to travel the state and see what’s going on in Georgia. I am excited about the future of Georgia. We still have some challenges, like what to do about our rural health care crisis. I live in a district (Blue Ridge) with a rural hospital, and we have to make keeping these hospitals open a priority.”

The speaker pointed out that more than 500,000 jobs had been created in Georgia since January, and barely touched on Gov. Nathan Deal’s veto of HB 757, the religious liberty bill, except to say he thought the issue would be revived early during the next session of the General Assembly.

Ralston did spend some time talking about the controversial HB 859, known as the Campus Carry Bill, which is on the governor’s desk, awaiting Deal’s signature or veto.

The bill would allow anyone 21 or older with a license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for four places — in dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and at athletic events.

When asked if he thought Deal would veto the bill, Ralston said, “I hope not. The bill was thoroughly vetted in both the House and Senate and I am very proud of what we’ve done to protect Second Amendment rights.” He noted there have been three armed robberies near the Georgia State campus since December.

“I think the bill is needed, but I’m not going to make any predictions on what the governor will do because he had shown he will use his veto pen,” Ralston said.

Deal has until May 3 to either sign the legislation into law or veto it.

Ralston says he would not be surprised if during the next session the General Assembly the House will take on at least some of the recommendations of the Governor’s Education Reform Committee which came out last year.

“I’m not sure what plans the governor has for that,” Ralston said. “I have raised some concerns about merit pay (for teachers). I’m not convinced there is a metric that is fair and reasonable to measure performance in the classroom. There are so many variables. So, I think until someone shows me a fair and reasonable way of measuring, I will continue to have the same concerns I had before this past session started.

“I used the analogy before session that Georgia State’s football team went 6-6 this past year and got a bowl bid. The University of Georgia went 10-3 and the coach got fired. How do you measure a teacher’s performance when they have to work with what comes into the classroom?”

As Ralston has traveled across the state, and with elections looming in November, the speaker has sensed a change in the mood of Georgia’s voters.

“I’ve seen a lot of frustrated Georgians with a Washington that doesn’t seem to be working.,” he said. “They are frustrated with a Washington that can’t balance the federal budget. They are frustrated that people can’t set aside their differences and come together on at least a few things and get them done. I think they have an appreciation that we do things different in state government. We are moving forward on job creation, transportation infrastructure, some educational initiatives, and criminal justice reform.

“But I think they really are frustrated with the federal government who seems to not want to hear from them, and just doesn’t seem to care about their lives. I also talk to a lot of people who are concerned that America’s place in the world seems to be in retreat. I believe that America is at its best when we are leading. If I worked in D.C., I’d probably be angry all of the time.”

Ralston then took a moment to put in a plug for state Rep. Ed Rynders, R-Leesburg, who is seeking his seventh term in the State House.

“Ed and I came into the House at the same time and if you want to see the champion of rural Georgia, look no farther than Ed Rynders,” Ralston said, pointing out that Rynders is chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee, secretary of the Appropriations Committee and a member of the Transportation and Ways and Means committees.

“You can’t afford to lose leadership like this,” Ralston said. “Don’t assume he will win (re-election) in a cakewalk. I need him in Atlanta and you need him even more than I do.”