The 2025 Georgia legislative session got underway Monday morning at the State Capital in Atlanta, and a Gainesville state representative says education and healthcare are at the top of his priority list as it begins.
Rep. Matt Dubnik (R-Gainesville) said on WDUN's "The Martha Zoller Show" Monday that he expects to remain in his prior appropriations role in the Georgia House Republican caucus. He said he hopes to see the legislature continue to invest in education initiatives.
"I don't think it's any secret that we've spent a great deal of time and money to invest in literacy initiatives to boost those reading proficiency scores across the state," Dubnik said. "I'll continue to champion that, and I think we've got a great model with these literacy coaches."
Dubnik also said it will be important for the legislature to take further looks at school safety initiatives. 2025 marks the first Georiga legislative session since the first mass school shooting in state history in September 2024 at Apalachee High School in Barrow County.
On healthcare issues, Dubnik said his main concern is staffing.
"Things that make me nervous and keep me up at night are when we have a shortage across the state of nurses at all levels and primary care physicians," Dubnik said. "Those are things we're going to continue to tackle."
On other topics, Dubnik said he believes 2025 could be the year sports betting could come to a vote in the state legislature. He also said maintaining a balanced state budget is of importance to him.
To hear more from Gainesville's State Representative Matt Dubnik, click play on the audio above.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/1/1280763/gainesville-rep-dubnik-says-education-healthcare-top-priorities-in-new-legislative-session