Having previously held the position of vice-chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus, he currently serves as Majority Whip. Staton is a member of the Appropriations, Banking and Financial Institutions, Higher Education and the Reap-portionment and Redistricting committee. Additionally, he serves as an member on the Rules, Assignments and the Regulated Industries committees.

A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Sen. Staton received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman University and a doctor of philosophy degree from the University of Oxford in England. Moving to Georgia in 1989, for more than 15 years he served as a college professor and administrator serving for more than eleven years as a faculty member, university press publisher, and associate provost at Mercer University. He currently is a publisher and broadcaster in Macon and Warner Robins.

Sen. Staton and his wife Catherine have two sons, Trey and William. They are members of the Highland Hills Baptist Church in Macon. In 2000, he received the Richard Furman Award from Furman University. He has also been recog-nized as the Rural Healthcare Legislator of the Year in 2008, and has won recognition for his work on trauma and other health care related issues including the Georgia Hospital Association Legislator of the Year award in 2010. Sen. Cecil Staton was named Legislator of the Year by Georgia Bio in 2012, specifically for his efforts to advance the Life Sciences industry in Georgia. He is also responsible for most of the new election laws in Georgia in recent years including Geor-gia’s requirement for photo identification for voting (2005), and in 2009 a requirement that proof of citizenship accom-pany voter registration applications.

Sen. Staton’s legislative office is located in Suite 421F of the Legislative Office Building, where he can be reached at 404.656.5039. His email address is cec-il.staton@senate.ga.gov. For more information, visit www.cecilstaton.com.

-January 2013, Senate Press Office