Representative Ron Stephens
Chairman Economic Development & Tourism
HD 164 (R - Savannah)
State Representative Ron Stephens (R-Savannah) represents the 164th District in the Georgia House of Representatives. Rep. Stephens is the Chairman of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee. Rep. Stephens has been a member of the House for eleven years. Rep. Stephens is also a member of the Appropriations, Rules, and Ways and Means Committees.
Representative Stephens is a graduate from Armstrong State & Mercer University with a degree in Pharmacy. He and his wife, Janice, have two daughters, Karen and Ashlin, and are member’s of the Garden City Baptist Church. Representative Stephens has spent thirty years as a pharmacist. Before being elected to the House, Rep. Stephens earned a seat as a City Councilman in Garden City. Proven a consensus builder and a member who can reach across party lines, Rep. Stephens was selected as the Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Health subcommittee and as a member of the Economic Development subcommittee, under a democratic majority and leadership.
Rep. Stephens was selected as the Chair of the Economic Development & Tourism Committee because of his experience of over nine years in the General Assembly. Representative Stephens is passionate about protecting and strengthening Georgia’s tourism business. He has served on the Appropriations Committee for eight years. Representative Stephens is the co-author of the first floating homestead exemption in Georgia now applying in more than 50 taxing districts in the state which effectively freezes property taxes for the homeowner. It is known as the STEPHENS-DAY Bill HB 350. He also served and was pioneer on the original tourism study committee that led to the formation of the current Economic Development and Tourism Committee which earned him the Leadership Award for efforts to bring non-traditional tourism industries over to the tourism side.
2008 Legislator of the Year by the Governor’s Tourism Conference
2008 Star of Life Legislative Award Georgia Emergency Medical Services
2007 Legislator of the Year Award GHPA ( Public Health Departments)
2006 Herb & Franklin Traub Visionary Award from the Savannah Area Tourism Leadership Council
2006 Representative of the Year Award from the Georgia Retail Association
2005 Hospital Association Legislator of the Year
2004 Champion of Georgia Cities Award by Georgia Municipal Association
2004 Legislator of the Year Award Georgia Pharmacy Association
2003 State Tourism Champion of the Year Tourism Development Alliance of Georgia
2002 Champion of Georgia Cities Award by Georgia Municipal Association
2002 Legislator of the Year Award Association County Commissioners of Georgia
1999 Senior Citizen’s Inc. Legislator of the Year Award
Carl Henderson Award from Mercer University