ATLANTA – Governor Brian Kemp has signed several bills on taxes, clock change and teacher retention that the General Assembly passed in the 2021 legislative period.
Among the more prominent measures Kemp signed at a ceremony in Savannah is an income tax credit to recruit and retain teachers in needy subjects in underserved Georgia public schools.
Sponsored by Rep. Dave Belton, R-Buckhead, the action enables teachers in 100 rural or underperforming schools, selected annually by the state, to apply for a $ 3,000 credit on their income taxes for up to five years if determined Teaching subjects that teach students struggle to learn.
The teacher credit was a priority for Kemp at this year’s meeting. He has also pushed for state budgets to include teacher salary increases and legislation to reduce the number of standardized year-end tests students must take.
Kemp also signed a bill aimed at permanently bringing Georgia to daylight saving time if Congress takes action to allow states to make that change. The measure was adopted through separate legislation which proposed setting a standard time throughout the year.
Also included in the bill were bills to impose an excise tax of $ 5 per night on short-term stays in vacation rentals and hotels booked by online providers, and to allow access to previously confidential records of criminals who have been sentenced to violence seeking parole for felony or sexual abuse of a minor.
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The 2021 session ended a few minutes after midnight on April 1 amid heated debate over Republican-led voting and criminal justice legislation.
Kemp signed a controversial bill to amend Georgia’s mail-in and early-voting laws soon after lawmakers passed it on a party line late last month.
The election changes have since become a national lightning rod. The Republicans call it necessary for the integrity of the elections, and the Democrats condemn it as oppressing the voters.
The governor has not yet signed a bipartisan bill to revise the Georgian Civil Detention Act.
The 19th century law was criticized last year after the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery outside of Braunschweig.
Stacker explores the history of police brutality in the United States through a variety of news, government, and historical sources. Click for more.