SB23 Vetoed by Governor Kemp

Thanks to everyone who wrote or called

Anyone following my Substack knows I have had differences with Governor Kemp. However, today I thank the Governor for vetoing the egregious and unconstitutional SB23 bill I wrote about earlier this week. Here is the Governor's veto statement:

"Senate Bill 23 has many parts. Parts I through XIII amend various titles of the Georgia Code to revise committee names and repeal certain provisions related to inactive state entities and legislation prefiling in the General Assembly. A late amendment to Senate

Bill 23 added Part XIIIA, which in part provides for a dispute resolution process for the Georgia Data Analytics Center including an administrative appeal to the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget. The process requires the Director to “consult with the chairpersons of the Senate and House appropriations committees prior to making a final determination.” S.B. 23, lines 360-362 (2023). This provision raises separation of powers concerns under the Georgia Constitution. See GA. CONST. art. I, § 2, ¶ III."

Because this administrative appeal process can also be accomplished via Executive Order without implicating separation of powers questions, I VETO SENATE BILL 23."

SB23 was unconstitutional for other reasons. Regardless, I thank the governor and thank everyone who wrote and called the governor’s office to encourage the VETO. Because SB23 contained egregious elements cut and pasted from HB520, the governor’s VETO signifies a complete victory for the people regarding this year’s attempt to legislate freedom-endangering provisions into law in the name of better “mental health.”

But this battle is not over. HB520 is still sitting in the hands of the Georgia Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee. It will be back next year. Furthermore, we can expect its primary sponsor, Representative Todd Jones, to introduce, or possibly cause to be introduced by others, new legislation to accomplish the same personal goals, involving the same conflicts of interest as HB520. It’s all a matter of word-smithing, and who can be persuaded to introduce legislation creating authorities to accomplish the same personal objectives as HB520, while hiding those objectives from freedom-loving Georgians dedicated to protecting personal liberty.

Anyone interested to aid the effort reviewing legislation dropped in the hopper during the next session is welcome. This is a team effort. But for right now, many thanks and congratulations to all patriot Georgians who worked tirelessly preserving freedom for all posterity during the 2023 Georgia General Assembly.