| Senator Chuck Payne, a Republican, was first elected to serve as State Senator of the 54th Senate District in January of 2017. Senator Payne serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, ViceChairman of Senate Committee on Education and Youth, Secretary of Senate Committee on Veterans, Military and Homeland Security. He also serves as Ex-Officio of Senate Committees on Appropriations, Children and Youth, Public Safety and as a member of Senate Committee on Higher Education. Senator Payne also serves as Chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee's General Welfare and Safety Sub-Committee. Sen. Payne served four years (1984-1988) in the Army and the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Angie Sellers, and they were married in January of 1988. In that same year, they moved back to Dalton and Sen. Payne began his 30- year career of public service to troubled youth and their families with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. Sen. Payne retired from the Department of Juvenile Justice with 30 years of service on October 31, 2016. Sen. Payne has always maintained his affinity for working with youth. In his 30 years with the Department of Juvenile Justice, he helped a countless number of kids who found themselves on the wrong side of the law, and many give him credit for helping to turn their lives around. Sen. Payne has volunteered to coach little league sports for both boys and girls, having coached basketball, softball, baseball and football over the course of many years. Sen. Payne has also been very involved in civic efforts over the past 33 years. He has served as Chairman of the Whitfield County Republican Party throughout the years of 1997 -2005 and 2013-2016. He was also elected among his peers to serve as Vice-Chair of both the GA-9th Congressional District Republican Party (2009) and the GA-14th District Republican Party (2010-2013). Throughout his twenty-eight years of volunteer effort, "Principle above politics" has remained the focus of his efforts in building consensus of conservative ideals and principles across North Georgia, devoting the balance of his time to his family and services of his faith. Sen. Payne and his wife, Angie, have two children - Son, Chaz Payne and Daughter, Heather Johnson and Son Inlaw, Daniel Johnson, as well as three grandchildren, Jet, Jonah and Judah. |