George Hooks
Encyclopedia
George Hooks is a Democratic
member of the Georgia State Senate, representing the 14th District since 1991. Previously he was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from 1980 through 1990.
, graduated from Americus
High School and earned a BA
degree from Auburn University
. While at Auburn he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order
, being initiated in 1966. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from Mercer University
.
Senator Hooks currently owns an insurance and real estate
firm in Americus.
from 1980 to 1990 where he was assistant administration floor leader for former Governor Joe Frank Harris
and was responsible for sponsoring and working for passage of the Governor's legislative proposals.
, is ranking member of the budget-writing Senate Appropriations Committee. Prior to the Republican takeover of the Senate in 2003, he was Chairman of the Committee. He also served on the Senate Rules Committee and chaired the panel until his appointment to the Appropriations post in September, 1993. Hooks is a member of the Natural Resources; Ethics (Vice Chair), and Rules. He serves as an ex-officio member of the Economic Development, Tourism, and Cultural Affairs Committee. In addition to his standing committee assignments, Hooks serves on a number of interim study committees and state commissions. Senator Hooks co-chairs the joint Senate-House Budgetary Responsibility Oversight Committee, created by the 1993 Georgia General Assembly
to help bring about budget reform by strengthening the legislature's role in evaluating the performance of state agencies. He is also a member of the Senate-House Fiscal Affairs Committee which is responsible for considering the transfer of state funds within agencies when the General Assembly is not in session. Hooks serves on the Senate Administrative Affairs Committee which sets policy and oversees the management of Senate operations. He also serves on the joint Senate-House Legislative Services Committee which oversees the Legislative Fiscal Office, the Legislative Budget Office, and the Office of Legislative Counsel. Senator Hooks is a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). He also serves on the Legislative Management Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), and the Fiscal Oversight and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Former President Jimmy Carter
is a constituent.
and was selected for Leadership Georgia in 1982. He has been honored as the Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Public Health Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, and the Georgia Hospital Association and as the Soil and Water Conservationist of the Year. He was cited as a "Friend of Medicine" by the Medical Association of Georgia. Hooks received the "Legislative Service Award" for 1991 from both the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. In both 1997 and 1998, he was honored with the "Speak Up for a Child" awards. He has also received the Friend of Children Award from the Child Advocacy Coalition and has also been cited by the Georgia Association of Educators. In 1997, Senator Hooks was recognized for his support to the Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired and the Georgia Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf. Last year, Senator Hooks received the "1999 National Legislator of the Year Award" from the American School Counselor Association. The American School Counselor Association honors one legislator a year with this national recognition. The purpose of the award is to recognize state or federal elected officials of government who have demonstrated their belief in and support of school counseling and guidance activities by outstanding work in passing legislation or stimulating future legislation which has an impact on school counseling and guidance. Hooks has also received the John McPherson Berrin Award from the Georgia Historical Society. Hooks is a member and former director of the local Rotary Club and the Americus-Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, attained the rank of Eagle Scout
as a youth, and served as a Scout leader
. On October 1, 2006, Hooks received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
from the Boy Scouts of America
. The 14th Senate District includes Peach, Taylor
, Macon
, Schley, Sumter
, Talbot
, Stewart
, Upson, and Webster
, Dooly, Marion, and Crawford counties.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Georgia State Senate, representing the 14th District since 1991. Previously he was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
from 1980 through 1990.
Background
Senator Hooks, a sixth-generation native of Sumter CountySumter County, Georgia
Sumter County is a county located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 26, 1831. As of 2000, the population was 33,200. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 32,532...
, graduated from Americus
Americus, Georgia
-Early years:Americus, Georgia was named and chartered by Sen. Lovett B. Smith in 1832.For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed...
High School and earned a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
. While at Auburn he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
, being initiated in 1966. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
.
Senator Hooks currently owns an insurance and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
firm in Americus.
State House of Representatives
A veteran legislator, Hooks served five terms in the Georgia House of RepresentativesGeorgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
from 1980 to 1990 where he was assistant administration floor leader for former Governor Joe Frank Harris
Joe Frank Harris
Joe Frank Harris is an American conservative Democratic politician who served as the 78th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1983 to 1991....
and was responsible for sponsoring and working for passage of the Governor's legislative proposals.
State Senate
Hooks, a DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, is ranking member of the budget-writing Senate Appropriations Committee. Prior to the Republican takeover of the Senate in 2003, he was Chairman of the Committee. He also served on the Senate Rules Committee and chaired the panel until his appointment to the Appropriations post in September, 1993. Hooks is a member of the Natural Resources; Ethics (Vice Chair), and Rules. He serves as an ex-officio member of the Economic Development, Tourism, and Cultural Affairs Committee. In addition to his standing committee assignments, Hooks serves on a number of interim study committees and state commissions. Senator Hooks co-chairs the joint Senate-House Budgetary Responsibility Oversight Committee, created by the 1993 Georgia General Assembly
Georgia General Assembly
The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, being composed of the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate....
to help bring about budget reform by strengthening the legislature's role in evaluating the performance of state agencies. He is also a member of the Senate-House Fiscal Affairs Committee which is responsible for considering the transfer of state funds within agencies when the General Assembly is not in session. Hooks serves on the Senate Administrative Affairs Committee which sets policy and oversees the management of Senate operations. He also serves on the joint Senate-House Legislative Services Committee which oversees the Legislative Fiscal Office, the Legislative Budget Office, and the Office of Legislative Counsel. Senator Hooks is a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). He also serves on the Legislative Management Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), and the Fiscal Oversight and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
is a constituent.
Community Work
Active in community affairs, Hooks was named an Outstanding Young Man of America in 1979 by the State Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and was selected for Leadership Georgia in 1982. He has been honored as the Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Public Health Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, and the Georgia Hospital Association and as the Soil and Water Conservationist of the Year. He was cited as a "Friend of Medicine" by the Medical Association of Georgia. Hooks received the "Legislative Service Award" for 1991 from both the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. In both 1997 and 1998, he was honored with the "Speak Up for a Child" awards. He has also received the Friend of Children Award from the Child Advocacy Coalition and has also been cited by the Georgia Association of Educators. In 1997, Senator Hooks was recognized for his support to the Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired and the Georgia Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf. Last year, Senator Hooks received the "1999 National Legislator of the Year Award" from the American School Counselor Association. The American School Counselor Association honors one legislator a year with this national recognition. The purpose of the award is to recognize state or federal elected officials of government who have demonstrated their belief in and support of school counseling and guidance activities by outstanding work in passing legislation or stimulating future legislation which has an impact on school counseling and guidance. Hooks has also received the John McPherson Berrin Award from the Georgia Historical Society. Hooks is a member and former director of the local Rotary Club and the Americus-Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, attained the rank of Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
as a youth, and served as a Scout leader
Scout Leader
A Scout Leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.-Roles:...
. On October 1, 2006, Hooks received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America . It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years after attaining the level of Eagle Scout...
from the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. The 14th Senate District includes Peach, Taylor
Taylor County, Georgia
Taylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 8,815. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 8,738...
, Macon
Macon County, Georgia
Macon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 14,074. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 13,542. The county seat is Oglethorpe.-History:...
, Schley, Sumter
Sumter County, Georgia
Sumter County is a county located in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 26, 1831. As of 2000, the population was 33,200. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 32,532...
, Talbot
Talbot County, Georgia
Talbot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census showed a population of 6,498. The 2009 Census Estimate showed a population of 6,355. The county seat is Talbotton.-History:...
, Stewart
Stewart County, Georgia
Stewart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 23, 1830. The 2010 Census reflected a population of 6,058. The 2009 Census Estimate shows a population of 4,558. The county seat is Lumpkin.-History:...
, Upson, and Webster
Webster County, Georgia
Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census reflected a population of 2,390. The 2009 Census Estimate shows a population of 2,192. The county seat is Preston.-History:...
, Dooly, Marion, and Crawford counties.