James Burchett (politician)

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James Burchett
Burchett-james-4967.jpg
Official headshot of James Burchett
Member of the GeorgiaHouseofRepresentatives
from the 176th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 18, 2019
Republican James Burchett 15,241 71.1% N/A
Democratic Evans Primus Jr.6,18528.9%N/A
Total votes24,126 100.0%

2022 and 2024 general elections

Burchett ran unopposed in the 2022 and 2024 Georgia state elections.

Legislative positions

Burchett is "one of the top Republicans in the [Georgia] House" according to Greg Bluestein, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's chief political reporter. [7] [ non-primary source needed ] Since 2023, he has served as the House Majority Whip, one of the leading leadership positions in the chamber. [2] [8] [9]

Committee assignments

Political stances

Turning Point Action, a conservative 501(c)(4) political action group dedicated to advancing conservative policies and politicians, [10] gave Burchett a lifetime session score of 95%, voting against Turning Point's preferred position only twice among the twenty-four votes studied. [11]

Political endorsements

Burchett endorsed U.S. House Representative Mike Collins in the Republican primary for the 2026 United States Senate election in Georgia. [12] [ non-primary source needed ]

Education

School safety

On March 4, 2025, Burchett voted for H.B. 268, a bill meant to bolster student safety in schools in the wake of the 2024 Apalachee High School shooting. [13] The bill requires schools to install panic buttons, improve records on and assessments for students with known disciplinary or mental health issues, share digital maps with law enforcement agencies, and more quickly share information once a student transfers between schools. [14] Additionally, the law expanded state and local resources for emergency response and mental health treatment. [15] Early versions of the bill contained provisions to create a state-wide database to track students reported for suspicious behavior, but these were dropped before the final version was signed into law. [16]

LGBT issues

On April 2, 2025, Burchett voted for S.B. 185, a bill that prevents state prison inmates from receiving state-funded sex change procedures, cross-sex hormones, or other gender-affirming medical interventions. [17] [18] Democrat House members boycotted the vote. [19]

On March 31, 2025, Burchett vote for S.B. 1, also known as the "Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act." [20] This bill requires that local school systems, public schools, and private schools with state-sponsored teams (or that participate in athletic associations with public school teams) designate sports teams as "male", "female", or "coed", and prevent males from playing on a female team, and vice versa. [21] This sex-based designation is seen as an attempt to prevent transgender athletes from participating on the team corresponding with their gender identity. [22] The ACLU of Georgia has called the Act "legalized discrimination" and likely to generate unnecessary litigation. [23]

Public trust doctrine

House Bill 1172

Following a legal settlement that gave private property owners exclusive fishing rights on the Flint River, [24] Burchett sponsored H.B. 1172. [25] This bill clarified that citizens have a right to pass through, hunt, and fish on all navigable streams, even if the title to the land underlying these streams was given to a private party prior to 1863, but that "entry" to privately held lands adjacent to these waterways is prohibited. [26] Opponents say the bill's language may empower owners of land granted prior to 1863 to effectively privatize rivers and streams where touching the (privately owned) stream bed is the only way to access the (publicly owned) waterway. [25] Burchett argues the bill "threads the needle" between public access to waterways and the rights of private landowners against trespass. [27] Governor Brian Kemp signed H.B. 1172 into law on May 6, 2024. [24]

Personal life

While attending Georgia State University, Burchett met his wife, Misty. [28]

Burchett manages a law firm with life-long friend James Kemp. [28]

References

  1. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly".
  2. 1 2 "Georgia General Assembly".
  3. ↑ "Georgia House Republican Caucus". gahousegop.com.
  4. ↑ "Jason Shaw sworn in as new member of Georgia Public Service Commission". Albany Herald. January 3, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Election Results". results.sos.ga.gov. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Election Results". results.sos.ga.gov. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  7. ↑ Bluestein, Greg (June 7, 2025). "X.com". X.com.
  8. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". legis.ga.gov. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Georgia House Republican Caucus". gahousegop.com. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  10. ↑ Schwartz, Brian (May 20, 2019). "Pro-Trump college GOP activist Charlie Kirk will launch a new group to target Democrats in 2020". CNBC. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  11. ↑ "State Representative James Burchett". Turning Point Action. Archived from the original on August 25, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  12. ↑ Collins, Mike (July 29, 2025). "X.com". X.com.
  13. ↑ Amy, Jeff (March 5, 2025). "Georgia House passes school safety bill after Apalachee High School shooting". AP News. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  14. ↑ Seymore, Dylan (May 1, 2025). "HB 268 mandates panic buttons in all Georgia public schools". wtvm.com. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  15. ↑ "New Georgia school safety law brings mental health services, security upgrades to Central Georgia schools". WMAZ. July 30, 2025. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  16. ↑ Rock, Amy (March 31, 2025). "Georgia Lawmakers Remove Proposed Statewide Student Database from School Safety Bill". Campus Safety Magazine. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Georgia SB185 | 2025–2026 | Regular Session". LegiScan. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  18. ↑ Tagami, Ty. "Senate adopts measure preventing state from providing sex change care to inmates". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  19. ↑ Dukes, Deidra (April 2, 2025). "Georgia House Democrats walk out in protest over bill banning gender-affirming care for inmates". FOX 5 Atlanta. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Georgia SB1 | 2025–2026 | Regular Session". LegiScan. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Ban on transgender athletes in girls' sports in Georgia nears the finish line • Georgia Recorder". Georgia Recorder. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Georgia Senate targets transgender sports participation with first bill of the 2025 legislative session". 11Alive.com. January 13, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  23. ↑ jshedlock@acluga.org (February 7, 2025). "SB 1 encourages lawsuits, creates toxic school environments". ACLU of Georgia. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  24. 1 2 "River rights regulations remain murky | The Dahlonega Nugget, Dahlonega, GA". www.thedahloneganugget.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  25. 1 2 Nolin, Jill (March 27, 2024). "Bill intended to clarify access to Georgia's rivers and streams heads to governor's desk • Georgia Recorder". Georgia Recorder. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". legis.ga.gov. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  27. ↑ Nolin, Jill (March 26, 2024). "Anglers and paddlers closely watch bill intended to make some streambeds off limits in Georgia • Georgia Recorder". Georgia Recorder. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  28. 1 2 "About". Burchett & Kemp. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
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