Tommie Williams, a Republican, was first elected to the State Senate for Georgia's 19th District in 1998. Sen. Williams represents Appling, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Toombs, Wayne and Wheeler counties and portions of Liberty and Tattnall counties. Sen. Williams serves as Senate President Pro Tempore. Sen. Williams is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Assignments and the vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He also sits on the Senate Administrative Affairs Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee, the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee and the Senate Rules Committee. He co-sponsored legislation to allow private citizens and groups to participate in public-private road-building initiatives. Recently, Sen. Williams passed legislation reforming Georgia's Certificate of Need laws (CON) to bring free market principles to healthcare and providing greater access and choices to healthcare in Georgia. Sen. Williams began his working life as a Toombs County onion farmer. He has been a public school teacher, earning his Bachelor degree at the University of Georgia and his Masters in Education at Georgia Southern University. He has also served with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board as a missionary to China, Israel, and Belize. Sen. Williams is currently a tree farmer in Toombs county. Sen. Williams, who recently was named to the 2007 Georgia Trend magazine list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians, has served as president of the Toombs County Chamber of Commerce, was named the 1997 Citizen of the Year for Lyons, and is a 1997 graduate of Leadership Georgia. He has served on the Board of the Altamaha Bank of Vidalia. Sen. Williams and his wife Stephanie have a daughter Emma, who was born the first day of the 2005 Legislative Session, a son Jack who was born in May of 2007 and Stephanie's daughter Madison. Since serving in the Senate, he has received the Legislator of the Year Award from the Georgia Christian Coalition (2001), has been awarded a perfect score from the National Federation of Independent Businesses for his voting record supporting small business owners, has received an A+ endorsement from the NRA and has been endorsed by Georgia Right to Life.