Won Republican primary election in District 52 State Senate race defeating opponent by margin of 62-38%. (August 2002)

Elected to State Senate representing Northwest Georgia’s Fifty-Second District which includes all of Floyd and Chattooga counties and portions of Walker, Whitfield, Gordon and Bartow counties with margin of victory of 54.2%-45.8%. (November 2002)

Appointed as:
Vice-Chairman of Ethics and Government Reform Committee
Secretary of Health and Human Services Committee
Member of Economic Development and Tourism Committee
Member of Judiciary Committee
Member of Children and Youth Committee
(January 2003)

Appointed as member of Governor’s Escort Committee. (January 2003)

Sponsored or co-sponsored approximately 300 bills and resolutions in the State Senate in first two terms of office. (2003-2006)

Appointed to Senate Task Force to oversee budget reductions in State Senate and review alternative revenue sources. (March 2003)

Appointed to Join Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Panel on Economic Development and Tourism to review agency budgets related to Transportation, OneGeorgia and the Georgia Ports Authority. (March 2003)

Appointed to Chair Subcommittee of Economic Development & Tourism to study alcohol sales issues in Georgia. (April 2003)

Appointed to serve on legislative oversight committee over the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. (2003)

Appointed as Assistant Deputy Whip of Majority Caucus in State Senate. (April, 2003)

Appointed to lead negotiations on behalf of Senate conferees on conference committee for comprehensive tort reform bill. (April, 2003)

Appointed to special commission to study electric power transmission lines in Georgia. (May, 2003)

Appointed to National Conference of State Legislators as a member of committee forming policy related to election/ethics reform, redistricting, campaign finance reform and other election matters. (June, 2003)

Appointed to the Majority Counsel position in the State Senate. (June, 2003)

Appointed by Governor Perdue as an Asst. Administration Floor Leader. First time in history a Senator has been appointed to this position in his first year of elective office. (July, 2003)

Named by Georgia Trend magazine to their ’40 Under 40’ list of the forty most influential Georgians under the age of forty. (October, 2003)

Authored and passed homeland security reform legislation (SB243-03) calling for the implementation of a unified incident command system and qualifying Georgia for millions of dollars in federal homeland security funding. (April, 2004)

Authored and passed the “Sportsmen’s Voter Act” (SB541-04) which will provide a mechanism for Georgia citizens to register to vote at any location where state hunting and fishing licenses are sold. (April, 2004)

Authored ‘Truancy Enforcement Act’ (SB392-04) to revoke drivers’ licenses of teenage students who were truant or dropped out of school. Appointed to conference committee on comprehensive education reform legislation (HB1190-04) which adopted and passed into law the language of SB392-04. (April, 2004)

Named ‘Legislator of the Year’ by Georgia Republican Party. (2004)

Awarded ‘Sportsmen’s Heritage Award’ by Georgia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. (2004)

‘Legislative Leadership Award’ by Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia. (2004)

Awarded ‘Legislator of the Year’ by the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals. (2004)

Appointed to represent Georgia on the ‘Redistricting and Elections Committee at the National Conference of State Legislatures. (2004)

Designated ‘Family Medicine Legislator of the Year’ by the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians. (2004)

Named to list of ‘Georgia’s Rising Star Lawyers’ by the Fulton County Daily Report. (August, 2004)

Received ‘Kaufman Award’ the highest designation for distinguished public service for medicine by the Medical Association of Georgia. (2004)

Appointed as a life member of the American Swiss Foundation and chosen to represent Georgia at its Young Leaders Conference to foster and build ongoing relationships with the country of Switzerland. (2004)

Given ‘Legislative Award of Excellence’ by the Georgia Gasteroenterology and Endoscopic Society. (2004)

Re-elected to second term representing Northwest Georgia’s 52nd Senatorial district by a margin of 64-36% in a newly redrawn district coving Floyd and parts of Bartow and Gordon counties. (November, 2004)

Appointed as:
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee
Vice-Chairman of Ethics and Government Reform Committee
Vice-Chairman of the Redistricting and Reapportionment Committee
Vice-Chairman of the Retirement Committee
Member of the Health and Human Services Committee
Member of Appropriations Committee
(January 2005)

Authored and passed comprehensive civil justice reform legislation (SB3-05). (February, 2005)

Appointed to chair a Senate study committee to help draft and amend legislation to strengthen the criminal laws respecting the manufacture, possession and trafficking of methamphetamine in Georgia. (2005)

Authored and passed a bill called “Joshua’s Law” (SB226-05)which creates a commission and funding mechanism for a statewide drivers’ education program and requires that all 16 year old drivers’ become trained before being licensed. (April, 2005)

Worked with local students at Armuchee Elementary School to author and pass a bill (SB41-05) to designate an official state amphibian as part of their civics education. (April, 2005)

Authored and passed a bill (SB48-05) to expanding the role of the Renal Dialysis Advisory Council relating to licensing requirements in end-stage renal dialysis facilities (April, 2005)

Authored and passed a bill to streamline the process of petitions for the legitimating of children to provide for a more efficient process to establish paternity. (April, 2005)

Presented ‘ACCG Legislative Award’ from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. (2005)

Appointed to Legislative Oversight Committee of the Georgia Public Defenders Standards Council. (2005)

Given ‘Georgia Legislative Leadership Award’ by the Georgia Hospital Association. (2005)

Appointed to represent Georgia on the ‘Law and Criminal Justice Committee’ at the National Conference of State Legislatures. (2005)

Awarded ‘Georgia Legislator of the Year’ for support of nursing homes and elderly patients by Beverly Enterprises. (2005)

Appointed to the Committee on Legislation of the State Bar of Georgia. (2005)

Given ‘Humanitarian Award’ by the Georgia Orthopaedic Society. (2005)

‘Leadership Georgia’ graduate, class of 2005.

Named to ‘Who’s Who’ in fields of law and accounting by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. (September, 2005)

Award of Appreciation by the Armuchee Ruritan Club for work with the Armuchee Elementary School students. (2005)

Appointed to the Committee on Judicial Compensation of the State Bar of Georgia. (2005)

Civil Justice Achievement Award by the American Tort Reform Association. (2005)

Authored and passed a bill (SB135-05) to provide that children detained by the Superior Court shall have the right to have their cases presented to a grand jury within a prescribed time period.
(April, 2006)

Authored and passed a bill (SB136-05) relating to who may post bail for minors detained in a juvenile proceeding and requiring that they be returned to the custody of their parents upon the posting of bail. (April, 2006)

Authored and passed a bill (SB469-05) to update the Georgia corporate code to help maintain the state’s competitive advantage over other states for economic development and job creation and retention. (April, 2006)

Named ‘Teen Safety Legislator of the Year’ by the Joshua Brown Foundation. (2006)

‘Legislative Leadership Award for Courage Under Fire’ as the highest state legislative award in the Southeastern United States designated by the Southeastern Legal Foundation. (2006)

Appointed to Senate study committee to review all fines and fees assessed by Georgia courts. (2006)

‘Coverdell Leadership Institute’graduate, class of 2006.

Named ‘100 Most Influential Georgians’ by Georgia Trend Magazine. (January, 2006)

Appointed as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the budgets of all agencies within the Judicial Branch.

Appointed as Chairman of Joint Legislative Oversight Committee of the Georgia Public Defender's Standards Council overseeing the new statewide indigent defense system.

Appointed as member of the Senate Study Committee on Hate Crime Legislation.

Appointed as member of the joint study committee reviewing the indigent defense system.

Appointed as a member of the Senate study committee reviewing Bioethics and Reproductive Rights and Technology.

Named to 'Most Notable Georgians' list by Georgia Trend Magazine. (January, 2007)

Nominated as 'Legislator of the Year' by the Georgia Association for the Deaf' (May, 2007)

Awarded 'Legislative Leadership Award' by Prosecuting Attorneys' Council for support of law enforcement and district attorneys in Georgia. (May, 2007)

Awarded 'Legislator of the Year' by the Georgia Council on Aging for advocacy of issues affecting Georgia's seniors(June, 2007)

Awarded 'Legislator of the Year' by the Judicial Council of Superior Court Judges for his work on the Drug Courts (July, 2007)

'2008 Public Service Award' from the Georgia Rehabilitation Association for advocacy of issues affecting Georgians with disabilities (January, 2008)

Awarded 'Environmental Leadership Award' by Georgia Conservation Voters (May, 2008)

Victim's Rights Champion Award for outstanding service on behalf of victims of crime, presented by Prosecuting Attorneys Council, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Deparment of Corrections, and Board of Pardons and Paroles (April, 2009)

'Environmental Leadership Award' by Georgia Conservation Voters recognizing legislative efforts to conserve and protect water and environmental resources. (May, 2009)

Leadership Award recognizing support of crime vicitms and their families from the District Attorneys. (May, 2009)

'2010 Legislator of the Year' award from the Georgia Society of Ambulatory Surgery Centers "in recognition of extraordinary efforts in advocating for patients and the highest quality of healthcare." (March, 2010)