“When we see a community putting people at risk, we have to step in. Lives are at risk, and I ask you each to vote in favor of House Bill 286,” said Rep. Houston Gaines (R-Athens), sponsor of the bill that would prohibit cities and counties from “defunding the police.” A short time later, the bill passed — mainly along party lines — by a 101-69 margin. It now heads to the Senate.
“I believe it’s our responsibility to keep our communities safe,” said Gaines. “I support local control, but I also am supportive of keeping our communities safe for everyone in Georgia.”
Gaines’ hometown of Athens proposed a 50 percent cut in police funding over the summer, but the proposal was eventually voted down. According to earlier reports, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Tim Denson — who co-authored the plan which was calling for a 10-year-shift toward mental health, housing and medical funding. Atlanta also recently debated plans to cut or redirect spending for police last year.
Prior to the vote, State Rep. Trey Kelley (R-Cedartown) asked for bi-partisan support of the bill. “I have only been here (in the House) nine years, but I wish we could go back to that time — a time when supporting our law enforcement wasn’t a political issue. This bill does not violate home rule as some have claimed, we have confirmed with our legal counsel. I am proud of this measure and look forward to supporting it.”
The proposal would ban cities and counties from cutting spending on police departments by more than 5 percent in a year, with some limited exceptions such as revenue loss. Local governments with less than 10 officers are also exempt.
During committee hearings recently, several Democrats questioned Gaines about the need for more funding for mental health.
“We need to find more support for mental health — many calls to police involve mental health issues and they (police) are not equipped to handle these calls,” said Rep. Bee Nguyen (D-Atlanta). “I think it would be more effective to divert funding to those who are trained to handle issues involving mental health, addiction and homelessness.”
Gaines said he agreed that funding needed to be expanded for those services, “but not at the expenses of law enforcement. When Athens Clarke County wanted to cut funding 50 percent over 10 years, I don’t think that would have made us safer.”
