One quick question to Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson about his goals brings a quick, yet complex answer.
The state’s Democratic Leader in the Georgia Senate has one goal — to represent his constituents in the 41st District and work with other Democrats to make sure their voices are heard and their objectives for the state are met.
That’s the quick answer.
Then comes the complex part.
“There’s always a challenge in meeting some of the goals because there are always going to be major issues that not everyone agrees on, “ said Henson, during a mid-morning meeting in his office at the State Capital. “But in my role as the Senate Minority Leader, I have to make sure we stay on track, that we all work together to accomplish our goals.”
While funding public education in the state of Georgia is a top priority for Henson, he admits that he is reserving judgement on the issue of legalizing casinos in Georgia to help fund the HOPE scholarship. Two meetings have been scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday for state lawmakers to discuss the possibility of a land-based casino industry. The meetings are being held by the Senate Preservation of the HOPE Scholarship Program Study Committee, and Henson isn’t sure if he will attend. The committee is expected to make a report on Dec. 1.
Georgia currently has no casinos, although it is one of the few states having some form of legalized online gambling. Along with three other states, Georgia permits the online sale of lottery tickets. However, Internet games like poker are off-limits.
“I was here when HOPE was started,” said Henson, who was initially elected to the Senate in 1990. He ran for state Labor Commissioner in 1998 and ended up in a runoff with eventual-winner Michael Thurmond. He returned to the State Senate in 2002.
“I am disappointed with the way things have turned out with HOPE,” he said. “But the problem with HOPE isn’t the money or the funding. The problem is that we have continually cut funding for public education and higher education, which has forced tuitions to continue to rise. Money that could be going to more students gets eaten up by higher tuitions.”
Henson also believes it’s time to look at the percentage of “prize money” distributed through the lottery winnings, as opposed to the percentage used to help Georgia students. In his early years in the Senate, Henson tried to put a cap on advertising for the lottery. “But I got beat on that.”
Henson said the Democratic leaders of the state will get together soon to begin drafting their legislative priorities for the upcoming year. But said he is certain education funding will be the No. 1 issue. “It’s extremely important to us,” he said.
When Henson was first elected to the Senate in 1990, the Democrats held the edge in Georgia politics. “There were 45 Democrats in the Senate, and 11 Republicans,” said Henson, who also served a stint as Floor Leader for then-Gov. Zell Miller. “I have definitely seen a shift over the past several years to Republican control. I have seen the tide turn.”
And he expects to see the tide turn again in the future, and feels last year’s statewide elections, and the recent election of Democrat Taylor Bennett in House District 80 is an indication of coming changes. “I think 2018 can be a good year for Georgia Democrats.”
However, he says he has good working relationships with everyone in state and national roles.
“I feel like I work well with Gov. (Nathan) Deal, US Senator Johnny Isakson, and most Georgia officials at the state and national level,” he said.
“And I like it that way. I work well with Sen. (David) Shafer and Lt Gov. Casey Cagle (both Republicans), and I think it’s the best of both worlds when we can work together to do what’s best for the people of the state of Georgia. When we all work together, we get more accomplished.”
However, Henson is quick to add that there are times when the two parties have true differences: “I know that, as a party, we have to stand up for what we believe in. But there are times when criticism and attacks don’t get the job done. I have found that many times more gets accomplished when I sit down with those people with differing views and talk things out.”
Although he has been in the Senate for many years, and was involved in state and local politics prior to his election to the General Assembly, Henson prefers to follow the philosophy of former Georgia Gov.rnor George Busbee “I would rather be a workhorse than a showhorse.”
Henson is looking forward to the upcoming session and the work ahead of him and his party. Along with school funding another issue Henson expects to arise is the proposed Opportunity School District.
“There are some concerns with the enabling legislation for the Opportunity School District,” said Henson. “I liked the plan we as Democrats brought forward that included the creation of community schools. There are underlying issues that need to be addressed in failing schools. In DeKalb, we have two schools that have a large percentage of refugees, and they face many complex issues that can’t be addressed by simply bringing in new administrators.”
Other issues include maintaining voting rights and healthcare.
“We have a full slate ahead of us,” said Henson. “But I still enjoy the job. The biggest pleasure for me is when I can help a constituent with the issues impacting them. The one-on-one time I spend helping the people of Georgia is my favorite part of the job.”
