Jerry Keen begins serving his fourth term in the Georgia House of Representatives in January 2007, representing House District 179 in Glynn County.

During his time in the legislature, Jerry has introduced legislation to reduce property taxes, eliminate state income tax on capitol gains, and provide tax credits for green space preservation.  With overall tax reform as a key issue for the House this session, Keen has indicated that an effort should be made to eliminate the personal income tax for all citizens of Georgia.

After playing a key role in the passage of tort reform legislation in 2005, Jerry authored the nation’s toughest sex offender legislation providing longer, mandatory sentences and lifetime electronic monitoring for those who commit crimes against our children.  This bill passed overwhelmingly in 2006 and was signed into law by Governor Perdue.

Representative Keen serves on the Rules, Appropriations, Ethics, and Insurance Committees.  He was re-elected by the Republican House Caucus to serve a second term as House Majority Leader.  In addition, he is a board member of the Saint Simons Island Land Trust, Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association, and the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.

As a native and lifetime resident of Georgia, Jerry and his wife Alice reside on Saint Simons Island, Georgia.  They have been married for 37 years and have two sons and six grandchildren.  Keen works as a Financial Advisor for Synovus Financial Management Services.