Kemp signs bills for hurricane relief, public safety

Just days after announcing he would not run for U.S. Senate, Gov. Brian Kemp was on the road to signing a flurry of bills, including public safety and hurricane relief.

One increases the amount of state money that families of teachers who lose their lives in incidents like the Apalachee High School shooting can get to $150,000.

Law enforcement credited teachers and resource officers for stopping the death toll there from being much, much worse.

Kemp told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot that he hopes they never have to use it again, but it’s there if they do.

“If we’re going to have a teacher die in the line of duty protecting their students at a public safety event like that, they should be compensated like any other first responder,” Kemp said.

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Later, Kemp appeared at the Georgia Forestry Commission to sign a number of bills designed to provide relief to the farmers and timber growers affected by Hurricane Helene.

Between two budgets, Georgia has offered nearly $1 billion in aid to Georgia hurricane victims.

Kemp also signed bills that allow the GBI to issue subpoenas when investigating cybercrimes.

More controversially, Kemp signed a bill that bans taxpayer dollars from being used for gender-affirming care for transgender Georgia inmates.

Democrats insisted it’s a solution without a problem since there are only a handful of transgender people in Georgia prisons.

“Look, you are always going to have critics about this like that, but to me it’s just common sense protecting the taxpayers,” Kemp said.

And about not running for Senate, Kemp told Elliot that switching jobs would be like “leaving Georgia to coach at Florida.”