David Shafer

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David J. Shafer (born 1965) is a Georgia politician. He currently serves in the State Senate, representing portions of Fulton County and Gwinnett County in the suburbs north of Atlanta. Shafer is a Republican.

1 Early life and education
2 Early political career
3 Legislative service
4 Personal
5 Links

[edit] Early life and education

Shafer was raised in Dunwoody, a suburb of Atlanta in DeKalb County. He was educated in DeKalb County Public Schools and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in political science. He was a student leader, serving as president of the Interfraternity Council. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity and Gridiron Secret Society.

[edit] Early political career

Shafer served as executive director of the Georgia Republican Party in the early 1990s and managed the gubernatorial campaign of Republican businessman Guy Millner in 1994. He ran for Secretary of State himself in 1996, winning a hotly contested Republican primary but losing the general election to Democrat Lewis Massey. Shafer ran for State Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party in 2001, losing a three way race to Christian conservative activist Ralph Reed.

[edit] Legislative service

Shafer was first elected to the State Senate in a special election on February 12, 2002. He was reelected in the 2002, 2004 and 2006 general elections, and has announced that he will seek re-election again in 2008.

Shafer is a leading conservative member of the Senate who receives high marks from the Americans for Tax Reform, National Rifle Association, Republican Liberty Caucus and other conservative groups. He served as floor leader to Governor Sonny Perdue but voted against Perdue's proposed 2003 tax increase. He has introduced legislation mandating zero based budgeting and requiring budgetary surpluses to be returned to the taxpayers.

Shafer's legislative voting record is generally pro-business. He has sponsored several major telecommunications bills, encouraging competition and protecting customer privacy. He authored legislation in 2007, dubbed the "Corporate Good Samaritan Act," which limits the liability of corporations who provide voluntary, uncompensated assistance during times of declared disaster.

Shafer is also known for his advocacy of "nondestructive stem cell research" involving stem cells derived from sources other than the human embryo. In 2006, he authored legislation creating the Georgia Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank, which passed in 2007 as the "Saving the Cure Act."

He sponsored a resolution that passed in 2007 apologizing for Georgia's eugenics laws and blaming them on Social Darwinism. In 2008, he denounced atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan as genocide and introduced legislation preventing Georgia pension funds from investing in companies that sell weapons to the Sudanese government. He has introduced resolutions expressing support for the State of Israel.

Shafer drew national attention in 2008 with a resolution asserting that Georgia's northern border was erroneously surveyed in 1818 and authorizing litigation to recover the disputed area. Shafer's resolution would give Georgia, which is suffering from drought, access and riparian rights to the Tennessee River.

Shafer was an early supporter of Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and played a key role in his campaign. He serves on Cagle's kitchen cabinet as a member of the Senate Committee on Assignments. He also serves as chairman of the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.

[edit] Personal

Shafer is married and lives in Duluth with his family. He serves on the board of directors of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and is a former trustee of the Gwinnett County Library System. He is a Presbyterian and a Rotarian.