Kathy Cox is

gearing up for her fourth session in the Georgia General Assembly, which

starts Monday, and to say she's fired up and ready to go would be an understatement.

Cox, who is

entering her final year as the representative from the 105th District

to the state House of Representatives, has pegged gas deregulation's effects

on citizens and education issues as her top priorities in 2002. The veteran

teacher will run for state school superintendent in this year's election.

She said Tuesday

morning that she expects the budget to be a "hot and heavy part"

of this year's activity for all legislators, as this is the first year

since she has been in office that the state does not have a sizeable surplus

going into the annual budget debate. "We're all going to make sure

no one hurts the things we need," she said, referring to possible

cutbacks.

Cox does not

expect any really big initiatives from Gov. Roy Barnes, in no small part

due to the fact that he will be running for a second term this year. "I

think he'll lay low," she said, adding that teen driving and education

reform are among Barnes' previous initiatives likely to be on the front

burner this year.

Speaking of

burners, Cox wants to turn up the heat on natural gas suppliers this year,

after months of what she says is a lack of consideration and cooperation

with customers since deregulation a few years ago.

Her first meeting

as a member of the Industry Committee after being elected in 1999 was

in a room packed with angry consumers, she said. Since then, the rate

increases and threats to turn off people's gas amid huge bills have created

"one headache after another. I'm tired of it."

She has received

numerous phone calls from what she called "desperate people"

facing gas bills of several hundred dollars, with gas suppliers threatening

to shut off service if complete payment is not made immediately. She has

called the suppliers personally on customers' behalf and even contacted

local charities to get help for customers, after what she said was a total

lack of cooperation from suppliers to even allow for payment plans to

make the huge bills good.

"This

is my top priority [for 2002]," she said. "I've got nothing

to lose [since she's not running again]. If I make some gas companies

mad, so what?"

In other matters,

Cox is keeping an eye on road construction and wants to make sure improvement

plans for Ga. highways 54 and 74 stay on track. And, as can be expected

from a 15-year teacher, she has some ideas in the area of education.

One problem

she sees is the lack of opportunity for principals and administrators

to have any discretion in "zero tolerance" matters, such as

weapons. While she thinks much of the policy is good, and she feels quite

safe on campus, there are things that could use some improvement, she

said.

For instance,

she was told of an incident in another county where a student was suspended

for bringing a seam ripper to school for a sewing class. "Let's make

room for some common sense," she said.

She also sees

a lot of room for improvement where teacher issues are concerned. She

said that she has never seen teacher morale any lower in her career than

it is right now.

"They've

been left out of the process, continually insulted, and told they're the

problem and not the solution," she said. "And this won't be

solved with a pay raise. It's not just about money. Teachers are not stupid."

In addition

to the Industry Committee, Cox serves on the Education and Health &

Ecology committees.