Governor Brian P. Kemp, accompanied by First Lady Marty Kemp, Lieutenant Burt Jones, Speaker Jon Burns, Commissioner Tyler Harper, members of the General Assembly, and other state and local leaders, signed a package of legislation focused on supporting Georgia's agricultural industry and improving security against foreign adversaries.
Among other things, included in this package is legislation that tackles ownership of agricultural land or land near military installations by certain individuals acting as an agent of a foreign adversary, it aims to alleviate high input costs for our farmers and ranchers, and to protect children from misleading and dangerous marketing, and to increase the penalty for livestock theft.
"As valued members of our state's number one industry, Georgia's farming families deserve our enduring support as they face unprecedented challenges, including having to navigate disastrous federal energy policies, attempts by foreign adversaries to acquire farm land, and theft of property," said Governor Brian Kemp. "We are tackling these challenges head on, and I want to thank our legislative partners for their work on these important issues."
While the package is primarily focused on agriculture-related issues, it also seeks to addresses career burnout among healthcare professionals and goes after those who are distributing fentanyl-laced medications or controlled substances.
Governor Kemp signed nine pieces of legislation, some of which are:
SB 340, sponsored by Senator Kay Kirkpatrick and carried in the House by Representative Joe Campbell, adds diesel exhaust fluid (for agricultural uses only) to the Georgia Agricultural Tax Exemption (GATE) - alleviating high input costs for our farmers and ranchers.
SB 494, sponsored by Senator Sam Watson, signed by Senators Randy Robertson, Kay Kirkpatrick, Russ Goodman, and Freddie Powell Sims, carried in the House by Representative John Corbett, and advocated by Commissioner Tyler Harper, makes changes to the framework for hemp regulation in Georgia to allow the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) to have greater oversight and enforcement power and adds labeling, packaging, and marketing requirements to protect children from misleading and dangerous marketing.
SB 436, sponsored by Senator Sam Watson, signed by Senators Russ Goodman, Lee Anderson, Larry Walker, and Frank Ginn, and carried in the House by Representative Chas Cannon, expands the use of farm-use vehicles.
Source: gov.georgia.gov