Golden serves as Chairman of the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, Vice-Chair of the influential Senate Fi-nance Committee, which is charged with writing the state’s tax laws and Secretary of the powerful Senate Appropria-tions Committee, which is responsible for the annual state budget. Golden also serves on the Higher Education Com-mittee and the OneGeorgia Overview Committee.

Georgia Trend magazine has included Golden in its annual listing of the "100 Most Influential Georgians" for both 2009 and 2010. He was one of only four State Senators named to that prestigious list in each of those years.

His work promoting health care issues for the past three years, has resulted in both the Georgia Hospital Association Legislative Leadership Award, and the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians “Champion of Family Medicine” Award. In recognition of his work on children health care issues, the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians named him their “Legislator of the Year” in 2007.

Known as a strong advocate for Georgia business, Golden was honored with a 2008 Legislative Achievement Award by the Georgia Retail Association. He was recognized by the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce as “Legislator of the Year” for 2007, and the group called it a “Lifetime Achieve-ment” award for his long time advocacy of business inter-ests in the General Assembly. That same year, the Georgia Industry Association made Golden their “Champion of In-dustry” for his efforts to promote manufacturing issues in Georgia.

During the 2008 session, Golden introduced and passed legislation creating the “Made in Georgia” initiative, a cam-paign to promote the sale of products manufactured in this state. Working with his Senate colleagues, he helped secure approximately $18 million in the state budget for fiscal year 2009 in direct appropriations for the communities of the 8th District.

In previous sessions, Senator Golden introduced and passed legislation that authorizes employers to conduct pre-employment, onsite, oral testing for substance abuse strengthening Georgia's "Drugs Don't Work" drug-free workplace program. Golden has been a champion of the

Senator Tim Golden

Senate District 8

Drugs Don't Work Program having passed legislation through the years to expand and strengthen this program. It allows companies to save 7.5% on their workers compensation policy by maintaining a drug free work environment for their employees.

He also sponsored legislation that established the tax check-off system for and raised awareness of the Georgia National Guard Family Foundation fund to support the families of the troops serving in the war on terrorism.

January 2013—Senate Press Office