Representative, Georgia State House of Representatives, 2002-present

Assistant Majority Whip, Georgia State House of Representatives

Former Minority Caucus Secretary, Georgia State House of Representatives

Candidate, Georgia State House of Representatives, District 137, 2018, 2020, 2022

Member, Appropriations Committee

Member, Natural Resources and Environment Committee

Member, Retirement Committee

Member, State Properties Committee

Member, Subcommittee on Health

Member, Technology and Infrastructure Innovation Committee

Member, Ways and Means Committee

Secretary, State Institutions and Property Committee, 2002-present

Former Member, Health and Human Services Committee

Former Member, Natural Resources and Environment Subcommittee on Water

Secretary, State Institutions & Property, 2003-2012

Member, Health & Human Services, 2003-2004

Senior Public Health Educator, Columbus Health Department

Director Community Benefits, Columbus Regional Healthcare System, 2008-2011

Director, Community Relations, Doctors Hospital in Columbus, 1994-2008

Board Member, American Cancer Society, Columbus-Fort Benning Chapter

Former Board Member, American Heart Association

Volunteer, American Heart Association

Board Member, American Lung Association, Georgia

Member, Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Association Board

Volunteer, Columbus Hospice

Board Member, Concharty Council of Girl Scouts

Board Member, Easter Seals

Secretary, Historic Talbotton Foundation

Volunteer, Jekyll Island Foundation

Member, Network for Professionals and Executives

Member, Safe Kids of Columbus Board

Board Member, Three Rivers Area Heatlh Education Center

Board Member, Twin Cedars

Volunteer, Valley Collaborative for Suicide Prevention

Board Member, West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition

Secretary, Zion Episcopal Church Restoration Project

Awards:

Representative Debbie Buckner Named "Policy Maker of the Year' by the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education
"Representative Buckner was selected to receive this award because of her strong support of our CTAE programs as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. She has contributed to the success of CTAE programs for years both prior to being elected and during her time as a member of the Georgia House." The Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education is committed to improving high school graduation rates by focusing on CTAE programs to keep students in school so they can develop the necessary skills to better succeed in life. When a student leaves high school with an employable skill, it ensures that we will have a well-trained workforce which in turn brings jobs and economic development to Georgia. "I am honored to present this award to our friend and supporter Debbie Buckner," said Matthew Gambill, Executive Director of the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education.

In 2004, she was inducted into the Gracious Ladies of Georgia, was named Legislator of the Year by the Georgia Rural Health Association, was presented the American Heart Association's Outstanding Advocate Award, and received the American Cancer Society's Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award for 2003 and 2004. In 2005 and 2006, she was recognized by the Georgia Alliance for Tobacco Prevention. In 2006, the Georgia Environmental Council honored her as the Legislator of the Year. In 2008, The Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island State Park named her Georgia State Representative of the Year, and the Georgia Conservation Voters honored her with an Environmental Leadership Award in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010. In 2012 she received the Ernestine Aurelia Mack Service to Mankind Award from the Gamma Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Priority Issues:

Dear Friends,

Thanks to you we won!

I am humbled by the outpouring of support, and all the messages and calls of congratulations.
This win is our win -- together. So many of you helped in so many ways. We knocked on more doors, made more calls, mailed more letters, and visited all the cities and unincorporated areas in the district more than once!

I look forward to serving the district to work on the issues that we've discussed over the last six months, the issues that matter to you:

Jobs
Education
Better pay and benefits
Improved infrastructure
Protection of historic sites and parks

You can call me with your ideas and we will work together for the best House District in the State.

Jobs are our first priority. There are answers, and they include recognizing the reality that state government can foster job creation, create the right environment, incentivize, and make the investments that attract business. The focus must be on good jobs, the kind that can sustain a middle class. We must keep in mind that what makes a community a good place to live is also what makes an environment attractive to business.

Here is our District 137 agenda.

Prioritize bringing new jobs to our part of Georgia: we know this has to be state government's Number One job.

Restore State funds for our public schools - improve graduation rates and placement for our graduates.

Maintain infrastructure that undergirds economic development whether it is roads and bridges or better access to the information highways.

Ensure quality affordable healthcare that is accessible.

Careful stewardship of our natural resources.

Demand fairer taxes: that result in a government that lives within its means while working effectively for ordinary Georgians.

Put our best foot forward: invest in our cultural and higher education institutions, our historic sites, and our parks and tourist attractions to promote the uniqueness of our communities and supports our local economy

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

Experience counts.

It counts more than ever after seven of the hardest years since the great depression. Experience counts more than ever since a generation of west Georgia jobs and population and political power have been moving upriver to suburban Atlanta. Experience counts more than ever now that our political culture has grown poisonous, polarized, and impotent. It's harder than ever to get work done.

That's why I'm running for reelection. When critical decisions, hard choices, and principled middle-of-the-road compromises have to be forged, I have experience that counts.

It's about priorities. It's about the priorities we share.