| Elected to the State House in 2018, Houston is in his third term in the General Assembly, representing portions of Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Oconee counties. Professionally, Houston has spent his career helping grow small businesses in our area. Today, he works at Carter Engineering, where he's focused on expanding this successful small business. He previously worked at Cannon Financial Institute - another small business in our region - where he served clients across the country in the financial industry.
In the House, Houston has championed a number of important priorities for our community. In his six legislative Sessions, Houston has authored nearly 20 bills that have passed the legislature - including legislation targeting human trafficking and domestic violence and legislation to support substance abuse recovery. Houston was named "Champion of Recovery" by the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse for his work on this legislation. He's also fought for and passed multiple healthcare reforms to lower costs and increase access for Georgians - and passed a 10% pay cut for politicians. In 2021, Houston passed a bill to provide paid parental leave for teachers and state employees - legislation that Ivanka Trump helped champion - and passed important criminal justice reform. He also spearheaded a bill to prohibit local governments from defunding the police - and he led the fight to stop sanctuary policies from being rooted in our local governments. In 2022, Houston was elected by his colleagues to serve as Vice Chairman of the Majority Caucus. Houston serves on the Ways & Means, Public Health, Governmental Affairs, Insurance, and Appropriations committees - and is Vice Chairman of the Higher Education Appropriations subcommittee.
As a third-generation Athenian and grandson of the late Judge Joseph Gaines, Houston has long been engaged in our community. He is a member of the Athens Rotary Club and previously served on the Envision Athens Steering Committee, Junior League of Athens Community Advisory Board, LEAD Athens Alumni Association Board of Directors and multiple K-12 and University of Georgia boards. Houston currently serves on the School of Public and International Affairs Alumni Board and the Northeast Georgia Boy Scouts Council Executive Board. He is a 2015 LEAD Athens graduate, and a graduate of the Zell Miller Foundation's Leadership Institute. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia, Houston served as student body president while at UGA and was named to its 2020 "40 Under 40" class. |