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'98 GEORGIA LEGISLATURE; CAPITOL INSIDER; Veteran GOP senator announces retirement The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution, February 19, 1998, Thursday,, ALL EDITIONS, STATE NEWS; Pg. 05F, (556 words),
CHARLES WALSTON AND KATHEY PRUITT

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'98 GEORGIA LEGISLATURE;CAPITOL INSIDER;Veteran GOP senator announces retirement The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution February 19, 1998, Thursday,

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The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
February 19, 1998, Thursday, ALL EDITIONS

'98 GEORGIA LEGISLATURE;
CAPITOL INSIDER;
Veteran GOP senator announces retirement
BYLINE: CHARLES WALSTON AND KATHEY PRUITT
SECTION: STATE NEWS; Pg. 05F
LENGTH: 556 words

When Jim Tysinger (R-Atlanta) came to the Senate in 1968, he was one of seven Republicans in the
chamber. A few years later, during the Watergate scandal, their number dropped to four.
Now Republicans are within striking distance of a majority in the Senate, but if they attain it next year,
Tysinger won't be around to enjoy it. He announced this week that, at age 76, he's retiring from politics after
this session.
"I would like to be here when we get a majority," said Tysinger. "But we are already a functional group now."
The praises for Tysinger were strictly bipartisan. A resolution to honor him was introduced by Sen. Paul
Broun (D-Athens), and Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard, who's also leaving politics after this year, called Tysinger a
"remarkable American." Tysinger, a retired engineer and World War II veteran, took the sweet talk with a
grain of salt. "We're supposed to tell the truth in here," he told his fellow senators, "but I appreciate those
comments."
Sen. Loyce Turner (D-Valdosta) also announced this week that he won't seek re-election. With nine senators
giving up their seats to run for statewide offices, that means there will be at least 11 new faces in the 56-seat
chamber next year.
In the House, Rep. Betty Jo Williams (R-DeKalb) has said she'll retire, and several other members --Rep.
Mike Polak (D-Atlanta), Rep. Tim Golden (D-Valdosta) and Rep. Bart Ladd (R-Doraville) --are expected to
run for the Senate.
When the House changed its rules Monday to push all personal speeches back to the end of the business
day, some warned that it would leave orators in the chamber without an audience.
It didn't take long for the prediction to come true. Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs)
found himself speaking to a sea of empty seats. So he tried to use another House rule to capture some
listeners.
Rule 44 allows the House Speaker to dispatch a messenger to round up members, arresting them if
necessary, to make them return to their seats. Not surprisingly, Speaker Pro Tem Jack Connell (D-Augusta)
refused to invoke the rule on Ehrhart's behalf.
The fact that nobody heard his speech was "a travesty," Ehrhart complained. On the contrary, Democrats
said, insisted that allowing members to skip the speeches if they choose is only right. "Freedom of speech,"
said Rep. Tom Bordeau (D-Savannah), "also includes the freedom to listen."

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'98 GEORGIA LEGISLATURE;CAPITOL INSIDER;Veteran GOP senator announces retirement The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution February 19, 1998, Thursday,
They were Taking Care of the People's Business in the Senate Monday when Hovie Lister dropped by for a
visit.
Lister used to be a Senate doorman, but before that he was famous as the piano player and leader of the
Statesmen, a gospel group that happened to be one of Elvis Presley's favorites.
Around his neck, Lister wore a gold and diamond medallion displaying the letters "TCB" and a lightening bolt.
The medallion is shorthand for Presley's credo, "Taking Care of Business in a Flash."
While Presley was known for giving cars to near-strangers, he bestowed the medallions on only 32 of his
closest associates, Lister said. "He put it around my neck about two years before he passed away," he said.
Lister, who is battling cancer, didn't stay long. He saw a few old friends, posed for a few pictures, and quietly
departed. Then the Senate resumed Taking Care of the People's Business, at its own deliberate pace.
PERSON: PAUL C BROUN (58%);
COUNTRY: UNITED STATES (92%);
STATE: GEORGIA, USA (92%);
CITY: ATLANTA, GA, USA (91%);
SUBJECT: LEGISLATIVE BODIES (91%); US REPUBLICAN PARTY (91%); POLITICS (90%); POLITICAL
PARTIES (90%); CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS (78%); POLITICAL SCANDALS (78%); US DEMOCRATIC
PARTY (78%); WORLD WAR II (68%); FREEDOM OF SPEECH (65%);
LOAD-DATE: March 13, 1998
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
Copyright 1998 The Atlanta Constitution