Governor Brian Kemp signed tougher penalties for gang crimes into Georgia law on Wednesday at a gathering of county sheriffs, marking the passage of one of his top legislative priorities of 2023. The Republican put fighting crime at the forefront of his reelection campaign last year.
Senate Bill 44 adds a mandatory five years to prison sentences for anyone convicted of a gang crime and 10 years for anyone convicted of recruiting minors into a gang.
The governor also signed seven other bills, including:
- HB 227, making it a crime to use electronic or physical means to attack infrastructure,
- SB 155, clarifying the state law making it a crime to harm a police dog or a search and rescue dog,
- SB 215, allowing police officers to remove their own or their spouse’s home address and phone number from all property records on a county government’s website,
- SB 60, making it harder to buy or sell automotive catalytic converters in an attempt to reduce thefts.