Greater Columbus Chamber Hosted Columbus Region Day at the Capitol
Staff Report From Columbus CEO
Friday, March 7th, 2014
Over forty Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber Members and Young Professionals traveled to the State Capitol Wednesday to meet with State elected officials and the Columbus Region legislators to hear about issues and legislation that could affect the Greater Columbus Georgia Region.
City Manager Isaiah Hugley, Columbus Chamber President and CEO, Mike Gaymon, and the Chamber Governmental Affair’s Committee Chair, Terry Smith were accompanied by Senator EdHarbison to the Senate floor and Representative Calvin Smyre to the House floor to receive a proclamation honoring the Columbus Region’s visit to the capitol. “There is no business that is not affected directly and indirectly by government. Meeting with our State Legislators and being recognized by both the House and Senate sends a message to all of them that we care about their jobs in passing and keeping bills from passing which impact the business environment,” stated Mr.Gaymon.
The Chamber group also enjoyed lunch with the Greater Columbus delegation of legislators. This was an opportunity for Chamber members and the Young Professionals to have a one on one conversation with the elected officials. Rep. Smyre commented that, “The Columbus delegation looks forward to Columbus Region Day at the Capitol every year. It is an opportunity for the Representatives and Senators to speak directly to Columbus Chamber Members and Young Professionals about legislation being passed that directly affects them and our district’s quality of life.
The Columbus Delegation and the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce continue to work together to build the kind of community that all people want to live in.” Rep. Smyre introduced the members of the delegation to include Senators Harbison and Josh McKoon, Representatives Richard Smith and John Pezold, each of them addressed the group. After hearing each Representative and Senator speak, the message was clear that they were committed to working together across party lines to constantly improve the quality of life in our region.
Young Professional Tremaine Reese, an attorney with Georgia Appleseed remarked that, “We are fortunate the Young Professionals program realizes that well-rounded leaders must understand the dynamics of their local and state government. Our presence at the Capitol not only exposed YP members to state government operations and pressing issues, but it gave us an unprecedented opportunity to advocate on behalf of the many citizens of Muscogee County.
The group also heard form Brian Kemp, Secretary of State and Sam Olens, the Attorney General. Mr.Olens spoke about legislation being proposed to set stronger laws to persecute those involved in sex trafficking and he also spoke about the issue of prescription drug abuse.
