Senator Thomas was a member of the influential Senate Democratic Caucus Policy Committee and the joint Fiscal Affairs Committee, and vice chair on the Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority Overview (MARTOC) Committee.
Prior to assuming leadership of the State and Local Governmental Operations Committee, Thomas chaired the Interstate Cooperation Committee. Her appointment to that post was also of historical significance because, at the time, no woman had chaired a standing Senate committee in some 40 years. It was a rare distinction for a freshman Senator to head a standing committee.
Senator Thomas has represented Georgia on the Human Resources Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) and the National Conference of State Legislators. Thomas formerly chaired the Children, Families and Health Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures and was honored by the SLC in 1994 when it selected her as one of only 30 government leaders from around the nation to participate in the prestigious Toll Fellowship Program at the University of Kentucky.
Before her election to the Senate, Thomas served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1991-93 where she successfully authored and passed HB 1487, a traffic safety measure.
During the 1996 session, Senator Thomas successfully sponsored the “Mother Newborn Protection Act”, which requires insurers to provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay of at least two days following normal vaginal deliveries and four days following Caesarian births.
She has steered legislation through the Senate to modernize the operations of Georgia’s Senate and House.
She was voted “Freshman Legislator of the Year” by her legislative peers in Black Caucus for outstanding legislative efforts during her first year in the State House.
Senator Thomas has been recognized by numerous Associations and Organizations as Legislator of the Year for outstanding work in health care for Georgia’s families and for outstanding work for the mentally ill.
She also has been recognized numerous times by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and the Association of County Commissioners (AACG) for outstanding legislative services for cities and counties.
In 1998 Senator Thomas received highest honor bestowed upon an elective leader GMA, “The Georgia Key citizen Award” in recognition of extraordinary public services to the cities of Georgia. Past recipients of the Georgia Key Citizen Awards are Governor Zell Miller, United States Senator Sam Nunn, and President Jimmy Carter.
Born in Ft. Myers, Florida, Thomas received her education from Edison Community College, Georgia State University (Studied Psychology))and Clayton College & State University: Bachelor’s Degree Nursing ( BSN) Walden University: Masters Degree in Public Administration.
She is a registered nurse a member of both the Georgia Nurses Association and the American Nurses Association
Senator Thomas a former member on the Boards of Directors of the Carrie Steele Pitts Home for Children, the DeKalb Art Council, and the Georgia Kidney Foundation.
Senator Thomas is the mother of three daughters (Doris, Dorothy and Nadia), and one amazing grandson (D.J. Bagley).
