Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. It is a time to spend with family and friends and to celebrate the birth of our savior. It is also a time to reflect back over the past year and to begin to plan for the year ahead. This season I have taken time to look back over my first term serving as your State Representative.

Over the past two years I have had the opportunity to meet and to talk with so many new people all across our great state.

As I have traveled around the state, I am convinced more than ever that we live in the best place on earth.

One of the most satisfying parts of my job is the ability to listen to your concerns and to offer my help. I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve you, and I look forward to continuing to be able to take your calls, emails, personal visits and to listen to your concerns in the new year.

Over my first term in office I was able to successfully author and pass numerous pieces of legislation that I feel will benefit our state. One of my bills dealt with the death penalty and has been argued in front of and upheld by the Supreme Court.

I was also honored to have authored one of the two constitutional amendments to appear on the ballot this November.

I was honored to receive the Pathfinder Award for my work on the Brain Spinal Injury Trust Commission Bill.

As I have taken time to reflect back, I have also been busy preparing for the new challenges that the 2015 legislative session will bring when it starts on Jan. 12.

We will tackle many tough issues including the budget, transportation and other important matters.

At the start of the session we will also learn our new committee assignments.

I am excited about the opportunities that are ahead for us as I enter my second term in office. I look forward to continuing to work on your behalf to ensure that your voice is heard at the Capitol.

Over the past six months, I have worked on several pieces of legislation that I will introduce at the beginning of session.

Over the next few weeks I plan to discuss each of these in my weekly articles and encourage you to contact me with your thoughts. Two of my proposed bills have already received state-wide media attention, and I am looking forward to tackling these tough issues.

The bills I will introduce include legislation to increase transparency within the Parole Board, no-knock search warrants, GED employer tax credit, aggressive driving and others.

I also plan to continue the tradition of holding my weekly informational breakfast on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. rotating between the Wagon Wheel in Dahlonega and Ryan's in Dawsonville.

The first meeting is scheduled for Jan. 10 at Ryan's. This will be prior to the session, and I will cover many of the topics we can expect to address during session, and I will discuss the bills that

I personally plan to introduce. I encourage each of you to attend and let your voices be heard.

I am honored to serve as your Representative at the State Capitol. I am always available to assist you and encourage you to contact me with questions or your opinions.

Rep. Tanner can be reached on his cell phone at (678) 776-5059, at the capital at (404) 656-0152 or via email at kevin.tanner@house.ga.gov.