House District 137
Debbie BucknerA native Georgian, Representative Buckner grew up in Columbus and lived there until she married and moved to Talbot County in 1976. She was first elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 2002 and currently serves the citizens of House District 137.
About
Rep. Buckner
Rep. Buckner currently serves as a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health, and the Ways and Means, Natural Resources & Environment, Retirement, State Properties and Technology and Infrastructure Innovation committees.
As a freshman legislator, she served as secretary of the State Institutions & Properties Committee, as well as a member of the Health & Human Services Committee, and she was the only freshman to serve on the Natural Resources & Environment Water Subcommittee. She has served as an assistant to the Majority Whip and then as an assistant to the Minority Whip. She was the House Democratic Caucus secretary.
Currently serves as vice chair of the Rural Caucus and one of the Tri-Chairs for the Working Families Caucus.
Rep. Buckner is the former Director of Community Benefit at Columbus Regional Healthcare System, having previously worked for Doctors Hospital as the Director of Community Relations and the Columbus Health Department as Senior Public Health Educator.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Columbus State University and attended Georgia Southwestern College for postgraduate work and to earn a teaching certificate.
Rep. Buckner is a board member of Twin Cedars, which provides programs and services to children and their families in Columbus, LaGrange and Macon. A board member and past chairman of the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition. Serves as a member of the Easter Seals Board and the Safe Kids of Columbus Board.
Her community service has included: formerly serving as board chair of Three Rivers AHEC, member of the Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Association Board, Board member and officer for the American Lung Association of Georgia, volunteer for Columbus-Ft. Moore Chapter of the American Cancer Society, Girl Scouts, Columbus Hospice, the Jekyll Island Foundation, the Valley Collaborative for Suicide Prevention and Historic Talbotton Foundation.
Under the Gold Dome
Legislative News
Legislative News: January 8, 2024
The 157th Georgia General Assembly convened for the 2024 legislative session on Monday, January 8, 2024, which marked the start of the second year of our biennial General Assembly. In addition to convening in the House Chamber each day, our House committees also began...
What Rep. Buckner Believes
On the Issues
Environmental issues
- Protection of Georgia’s 100-mile coastline — including Jekyll Island
- Okefenokee mining projects potential of adversely affecting the water levels thus damaging the wildlife, flora, and fauna
- Always working to make sure Georgia’s waterways are drinkable, fishable, and swimmable
Retirement for School Employees
Worked to increase the retirement multiplier for Public School Employees such as school bus drivers, lunch room workers, etc.
Help people with disabilities
Worked to improve the GVRA department to help with specialized job training for those with special needs
Historic Preservation
- Historic preservation tax credit
- Funding to restore the historic pools at Warm Springs used by FDR
Safety
Georgia is the only state that restores rights to purchase a gun five years after being released from a mental hospital- after being involuntarily committed to that hospital. My bill would establish a process to re-establish that right vs. being automatically purged by a computer and allowed to purchase guns.
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Protecting our public safety and preventing gun violence so every everyone feels safe in their homes and in our communities
- Wrongful conviction resolution for innocent individuals to receive compensation for the time they were imprisoned. For several years, we have tried to change the process to a panel of experts instead of a political process.
Health
Rep. Buckner has been supporter of Medicaid expansion from beginning and she is concerned about maternal and infant mortality. During her time under the gold dome, she has,
- Worked on mandated coverage for mammograms, supported legislation to increase notification requirements for dense breast tissue.
- Advocated for longer insurance coverage following the birth of a child and worked to expand Medicaid coverage from 6 weeks to 1-year postpartum
- Secured prescriptive authority for Advanced practice nurses
- Worked on health appropriations committee to increase number of medical education slots most recently for mental health care providers to meet the large unmet need
- Worked to place medical providers in rural areas
Email: buckner604@aol.com
780 Fielder’s Mill Road
Junction City, Georgia 31812
Authorized and Paid for by the Committee to Elect Debbie Buckner