ATLANTA – State Representative Stan Gunter (R-Blairsville), vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, was recently recognized by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) with a 2021 ACCG Legislative Service Award. Rep. Gunter was presented with the award by Clint Mueller, legislative director of the ACCG, during a Union County Board of Commissioners meeting on Dec. 16.
“It is an honor to receive this recognition after my first legislative session under the Gold Dome,” said Rep. Gunter. “The COVID-19 pandemic left our judicial system with no choice but to suspend criminal and civil trials, which inevitably led to an unprecedented backlog of cases. Although the suspension was lifted earlier this year, we anticipated that the backlog of cases would continue to grow, leaving our local court systems with the threat of being overwhelmed. As a former Georgia superior court judge, I was proud to partner with the ACCG last session to help get ahead of this issue and remove unnecessary burdens on our local courts. I look forward to working with the ACCG this next session to continue to address this critical issue.”
The ACCG recognized Rep. Gunter for his efforts during the 2021 legislative session to help address the case backlog that many, if not all, local courts are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Gunter assisted the ACCG with legislation that not only addresses this issue, but also seeks to implement more efficient processes for court operations. The ACCG Legislative Service Awards program honors Georgia General Assembly members for their work during the legislative session.
“ACCG is, yet again, pleased to honor our state legislators through the association’s Legislative Service Awards program,” said Dave Wills, executive director of the ACCG. “The significance of collaboration between state and local government continues to be underscored with issues like public health, public safety and elections in the forefront. This award program offers our appreciation to our state elected leaders for their work to advance Georgia’s counties.”
The ACCG is Georgia’s county association and works on behalf of county officials and their communities by providing public policy and legislative advocacy, leadership development, civic and community engagement initiatives, insurance and retirement programs that specialize in local government needs and other cost-saving programs. Formed in 1914 when county officials came together to help fund the state’s first highway department, ACCG today serves as a catalyst for advancing Georgia’s counties.
For more information about the ACCG, please visit www.accg.org.
*Editor’s Note: A photo of Rep. Gunter with the award during the recent Union County Board of Commissioners meeting is attached.
Representative Stan Gunter represents the citizens of District 8, which includes Rabun, Towns and Union counties and portions of White County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Economic Development & Tourism committees.
###