Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed legislation that would have opened up more financial aid to college students in need as well as given veterans a free ride if they enrolled in a commercial driver’s license training program.
The Republican governor, who was elected to a second term in November, vetoed the bills Friday as part of 14 measures he rejected ahead of this week’s deadline to either sign bills into law or kill them for the legislative session.
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The financial aid measure, which was backed by strong bipartisan support, would have increased the maximum award students can receive to $3,500 from $2,500. The legislation would have also opened up help to students earlier in their academic studies.
When it came to the veterans initiative he nixed, Kemp’s office insisted that while the governor supports the cause to make education more affordable to those who served in the armed forces, he was forced to veto it because it is “subject to appropriations and the General Assembly failed to fully fund these educational incentives,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Kemp also vetoed changes to the state’s higher education system, something that had caused quite a bit of intraparty tension over the past year. He rejected a bill that would have required legislative approval before state colleges and universities could raise tuition costs or other academic fees by more than 3%. In the past, the power had belonged to the Board of Regents, many of whom have close ties to Kemp. His veto allowed the Board of Regents to continue to have the final say over any increases.
Kemp did sign off on several education bills, including the Safe Schools Act, which requires Georgia classrooms to conduct intruder alert drills as well as submit school safety plans to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. The bill also creates training for teachers to identify gang members in classrooms, though some Democratic lawmakers argued it could lead to racial profiling.
The governor also signed off on two bills aimed at boosting literacy rates as well as two others that would aid students with medical conditions. Specifically, it would allow parents to submit action plans to the school to address possible seizures while the other would give schools the green light to stock ready-to-use glucagon for diabetic students.
Kemp also signed off on a budget bill that will spend $13.1 billion on K-12 schools, including a plan to restore the original system of paying full tuition for HOPE Scholarships for all high school students who earn at least a B average. The budget will also increase HOPE Scholarship payments to private college students in Georgia.
Apart from education, the governor on Friday made headlines for signing off on a proposal that would create an oversight commission to oust elected prosecutors from their posts if they fall short of expectations.
Fani Willis, who is weighing whether to bring charges against former President Donald Trump over meddling in the 2020 election, has been an outspoken critic of the legislation.
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Other notable bills Kemp rejected included one that would have made it easier for those over 65 years old in Fulton County making an annual income of less than 200% of the federal poverty level to reapply for a homestead exemption.
Another would have forced the state to offer health savings accounts to employees on a pre-tax basis. Kemp vetoed the bill, saying legislators who voted in favor of it did not have a “full understanding of the fiscal impact” to Georgia.
