(The Center Square) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a series of public safety bills, including a measure increasing penalties for anyone who recruits children into gangs.
Senate Bill 44 also requires judges to “consider the accused person’s criminal history record information that is available at such time” before releasing defendants on their own recognizance.
“This bill will help us stop the spread of gangs, hold offenders accountable, and keep our communities safe,” Kemp, a Republican, said in a Wednesday statement.
Kemp also signed House Bill 139, which nixes a requirement that prosecutors disclose the personal information, including the home addresses, of non-sworn employees of law enforcement agencies who testify at criminal trials. Similarly, SB 215 allows law enforcement officers to ask to remove their personally identifiable information from local — and publicly available — property records.
HB 227 increases penalties for illegally damaging “critical infrastructure,” while HB 268 creates a Criminal Justice Coordinating Council grant program for local law enforcement agencies and establishes the Georgia Motor Crime Prevention Advisory Board. SB 155, also known as “Figo’s Law,” increases penalties for anyone who harms a public safety or search and rescue animal.
SB 60 makes it illegal “to purchase, possess, transport, or sell a used, detached catalytic converter.”
Another measure, HB 373, designates Sept. 11 as “First Responders Appreciation Day.”
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
