State Rep. Bill Hitchens (R - Rincon) has endorsed Republican businessman and certified public accountant Billy Hickman’s campaign for Georgia’s 4th Senatorial District.

 “I am honored to earn the endorsement of Representative Bill Hitchens,” Hickman said. “He has done an outstanding job representing the citizens of Effingham County and his district, and I appreciate his years of service to our district, state and country. I look forward to working with him in the legislature to advance policies that get our economy back on track and put our local taxpayers, workers, farmers, businesses and families first.”

 “I’ve known Billy for a long time and as a former Marine, Coast Guard officer and state trooper, and now as a legislator," Hitchens said. "I know that he has the knowledge, experience and, most of all, the integrity to take his servitude to the state Capitol. As a businessman, CPA, and community leader, he is uniquely qualified to lead District 4 during these challenging times, and I am proud to support him in his campaign.”

Hitchens was elected to represent House District 161 in 2012. Prior to serving in the legislature, he served 47 years in the military and state law enforcement. He is a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, and he served 28 years in the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) prior to retiring in 1997.

After 9/11, he was selected to serve as the first director of the Georgia Office of Homeland Security. 

In December 2004, Gov. Sonny Perdue nominated Hitchens to be the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety and the colonel of the Georgia State Patrol. 

In the House of Representatives, Hitchens serves as chairman of the Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee and as a member on the Appropriations, Defense & Veterans Affairs, Economic Development & Tourism, and Transportation committees. He also serves as the chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee on the Ports and Local Government and he previously served as the chairman of the Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee.