ATLANTA — The Georgia House of Representatives set an example of efficiency Monday its congressional counterpart could only dream of emulating.
Lawmakers elected House Majority Leader Jon Burns, R-Newington, to move up to speaker of the House in just a single ballot and by acclamation.
Burns succeeds the late Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who died in November at age 68 following an extended illness.
“This is a very bittersweet moment,” Burns told his House colleagues following Monday’s vote. “The passing of Speaker David Ralston has left a hole in the heart of this House.”
House members also reelected Rep. Jan Jones, R-Milton, to continue as speaker pro tempore, the second-in-command position she was first elected to in 2010. Jones took the reins temporarily as speaker after Ralston’s death, becoming the first female House speaker…
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