ATLANTA - Cobb's 19 state legislators will all be under the Gold Dome on Monday as the General Assembly convenes its new term. The big focus is likely to be where to cut back state spending amid continued declining revenues. The state's fiscal 2010 operating budget is $18.57 billion, and lawmakers expect the 2011 budget to be cut by at least $1.5 billion.

State Sen. Judson Hill (R-east Cobb) said job creation is his No. 1 priority this session.

"We must get Georgians back to work to turn the economy around. Next, we must balance the state budget," said Hill, who was first elected to the Senate in 2004.

He has been outspoken in his criticism of national health care reform efforts in Washington, which he says will make balancing Georgia's budget "nearly impossible in the near future. He has proposed a constitutional amendment to enshrine Georgians' "freedom to choose a health care provider and insurance plan you want without federal fines or penalties if you don't participate in national mandated healthcare."

Sen. John Wiles (R-Kennesaw) is the leader of the Cobb delegation, which includes 11 Republicans and eight Democrats.

At least one Democrat, Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan of Austell, will be pushing for education improvements to close achievement gaps among students and improve teacher effectiveness.

"We have to take a comprehensive look at training, supporting, compensating and retaining the best and most effective teachers especially in areas where they are needed most," Morgan said. "We also have to address the unpopular issue of removing ineffective teachers."

The perennial issue of funding for transportation will likely come up again, as metro Atlanta delegates look for ways to get their cities out of gridlock. In the last two years, state lawmakers have failed to approve a funding mechanism - such as a special purpose local option sales tax - for transportation improvements.

"There's a commitment on both sides," Wiles previously said. "You will see it happen."

House lawmakers will see new leadership this term with the exit of former Speaker Glenn Richardson, a Paulding County Republican. Rep. David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican, is expected to win the top spot.

Morgan, a Democrat, said she hopes that with a new Speaker, "the process in the house will be more democratic allowing for real debate of issues, amending of bills on the house floor and the assurance that bills get fair hearings."

She also plans to introduce at least two bills aimed at preventing families from suffering the devastation seen after the flooding last September. One measure, she said, would require local governments to inform residents of flood-zone status when maps are updated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.