Jan Jones (Georgia Legislature)
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Georgia House Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones announced Thursday that she will retire from office at the end of her current term.
The backstory:
House Republicans first elected the Fulton County representative as speaker pro tem in 2010. Having been re-elected to the post every term since, Jones is the longest-serving speaker pro tem in Georgia history and currently the longest-serving in the nation. She also made history as Georgia’s first female speaker, serving in an interim capacity following the death of Speaker David Ralston until the election of Speaker Jon Burns.
Jones was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002. Her district covers portions of North Fulton County, including Milton, Mountain Park, and parts of Roswell and Alpharetta.
What we know:
Throughout her 25 years in public office, Jones focused on local control, government transparency, and public education reform.
"I will miss the rewarding work, the ability to help constituents and of course the many colleagues who’ve become dear friends since my first election in 2002," Jones said in a statement. "Over these years, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished on education policy: restoring full funding to public schools, keeping teacher pay the highest in the Southeast, expanding access to Pre-K and bolstering that workforce and strengthening parent choice with more public charters and the Promise Scholarship."
What's next:
Jones’ term will officially conclude in January 2027.
The Source: Information in this article came from a press release sent to FOX 5 by the speaker pro tem's office. It also includes information from Jones' official biography.