ATLANTA – State Representative Karen Bennett (D-Stone Mountain), chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (GLBC), today issued the following statement on House Bill 838, which has been sent to Governor Brian Kemp for consideration:
“As a caucus, we sent a letter to Governor Brian Kemp requesting that he veto House Bill 838, recognizing it offers no tangible benefit to the residents of Georgia, especially first responders.
“We take issue with HB 838 on the following three matters: occupations do not have recognizable civil rights as defined by federal law; HB 838 could undermine the First Amendment rights of citizens who fear being sued for filing a complaint against an officer under ‘claims’ of knowing it was false; and HB 838 would allow individuals who are found guilty of bias motivated intimidation towards first responders, leading to death or seriously bodily harm, to actually receive a weaker sentence compared to what currently exists in the state code.
“Our letter to Governor Kemp further clarifies these points.
“We are more than willing to work with the governor to craft new legislation that contributes to criminal justice reform and restoring public trust with law enforcement agencies. We are experiencing a moment in history where expectations for substantive change by elected officials are the norm. Let us grasp this moment to move Georgia forward as a ‘state too great to hate.’
“An excellent place to start would be vetoing HB 838 and begin having real conversations with everyday people whose experiences with law enforcement are starkly different than yours. Like House Bill 426 did, it is time to bring the state together.”
Established in 1975, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus is a 501(c)3 non-profit, nonpartisan organization comprised of 65 Georgia House and Senate members.
For more information about the GLBC, please click here.
For more information on House Bill 838, please click here.
Representative Karen Bennett represents the citizens of Districts 94, which includes portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and currently serves on the Code Revision, Economic Development & Tourism, Health & Human Services and Regulated Industries committees.
###