Governor Brian P. Kemp, accompanied by First Lady Marty Kemp, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr, Colonel Chris Wright, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Mike Register, and members of the General Assembly, signed SB 44 today at the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association Command Staff Conference. He also signed several other pieces of legislation designed to support public safety and crack down on criminals throughout the state.
SB 44 – sponsored by Senator Bo Hatchett, co-sponsored by President Pro Tempore John Kennedy, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, Senate Majority Whip Randy Robertson, and Sen. Lee Anderson, and carried by Rep. Soo Hong in the House – increases penalties for criminal gang activities, especially for those who recruit children. It also codifies judicial best practices and cuts down on the revolving door of criminal justice by ensuring judges consider an offenders’ criminal record and history of returning to court before issuing a bond that frees an offender on their own recognizance.
SB 44 was a major part of Governor Kemp’s legislative agenda this session to crack down on gang activity, protect Georgia’s children from being lured into a life of violent crime, and keep criminals off the street.
“I’m proud to sign SB 44 into law today and send a clear message to gangs in our state: come after our children, and we will come after you,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “This bill will help us stop the spread of gangs, hold offenders accountable, and keep our communities safe. I want to thank Sen. Bo Hatchett, President Pro Tem John Kennedy, Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, Senate Majority Whip Randy Robertson, Sen. Lee Anderson, Rep. Soo Hong, Rep. Brian Strickland, Rep. Tyler Paul Smith, the Prosecuting Attorneys Council, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the General Assembly for their leadership on this issue. I also want to thank Lt. Governor Burt Jones and Attorney General Chris Carr for…
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