Georgia Governor Kemp Signs Bill Preventing “Defund the Police”

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said the “defund the police” movement would endanger Georgian communities and signed a bill into law on May 7, forbidding large budget cuts for local police. “Today, I am proud to sign [HB] 286 to protect law enforcement budgets and ensure the safety of local communities across Georgia,” Kemp said in a statement. HB 286 (see pdf below) prohibits county governing authorities from reducing the police budget by more than 5 percent a year or “during a rolling five-year period.” The Republican-led General Assembly passed the bill and sent it to Kemp in early April. “Radical…