Signed by Governor Brian Kemp

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that prohibits local police departments from reducing annual police budgets by any more than 5% of the previous fiscal year.

Highlights:

• Defines 'ERISA' as the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (Sec. 3.a-3).

• Defines 'public safety employee' as a peace officer, correctional officer, emergency health worker, firefighter, highway emergency response operator, jail officer, juvenile correctional officer, or probation officer (Sec. 3.a-9).

• Prohibits the governing authority of a county that has elected to establish a county police force from decreasing the annual budgetary appropriation for such police force by more than 5% of the previous fiscal year's appropriation for such police force (Sec. 1.a-1).

• Specifies sections of this law do not apply to the following (Sec. 1-2.c):

• The governing authority ensures that an equal or greater level of law enforcement services will be provided to the county by either the sheriff or another local government according to an intergovernmental agreement;

• During the applicable time period, the county is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction to begin providing a public service at a level such county was not providing before the issuance of such court order necessitating county-wide budgetary adjustments; or

• Whenever a governing authority shall propose to adopt a police department budget which would exceed any limits, it will adopt that budget rate at an advertised public meeting and at a time and place which is convenient to the taxpayers of the taxing jurisdiction.

• Prohibits this law from applying if during the previous fiscal year the municipality made a one-time capital public safety facility, equipment, or software purchase or incurred a one-time legal obligation that increased the annual budgetary appropriation of such police force by more than 4 percent above the annual budgetary appropriation for such police force for the fiscal year immediately preceding the previous fiscal year and the current fiscal year (Sec. 2.a.B).

• Requires the governing authority to also place an advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation serving the residents of the unit of local government and post such advertisement on the website of the governing authority, which describes the proposed percentage reduction in police services from the previous year's appropriation for police services (Sec. 2.c-3).

• Prohibits this law from applying to any consolidated government that operates a police force, and such police force will be considered a municipal police force (Sec. 2.d).

• Requires the governing authority of each county and municipality that currently provides electronic payroll deposits to employees shall also provide payroll deductions to any full-time or part-time public safety employee who requests such a deduction for the purpose of purchasing insurance that provides such public safety employee with legal representation during all civil, administrative, or criminal actions caused as a result of his or her role or responsibilities as a public safety employee (Sec. 3.b).

• Specifies the deduction will only be used to pay the premiums on insurance plans that are compliant within current ERISA standards and any dues or fees required by any professional organization that owns and provides such ERISA compliant product as a benefit of membership (Sec. 3.b).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that prohibits local police departments from reducing annual police budgets by any more than 5% of the previous fiscal year.

Highlights:

• Defines 'ERISA' as the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (Sec. 3.a-3).

• Defines 'public safety employee' as a peace officer, correctional officer, emergency health worker, firefighter, highway emergency response operator, jail officer, juvenile correctional officer, or probation officer (Sec. 3.a-9).

• Prohibits the governing authority of a county that has elected to establish a county police force from decreasing the annual budgetary appropriation for such police force by more than 5% of the previous fiscal year's appropriation for such police force (Sec. 1.a-1).

• Specifies sections of this law do not apply to the following (Sec. 1-2.c):

• The governing authority ensures that an equal or greater level of law enforcement services will be provided to the county by either the sheriff or another local government according to an intergovernmental agreement;

• During the applicable time period, the county is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction to begin providing a public service at a level such county was not providing before the issuance of such court order necessitating county-wide budgetary adjustments; or

• Whenever a governing authority shall propose to adopt a police department budget which would exceed any limits, it will adopt that budget rate at an advertised public meeting and at a time and place which is convenient to the taxpayers of the taxing jurisdiction.

• Prohibits this law from applying if during the previous fiscal year the municipality made a one-time capital public safety facility, equipment, or software purchase or incurred a one-time legal obligation that increased the annual budgetary appropriation of such police force by more than 4 percent above the annual budgetary appropriation for such police force for the fiscal year immediately preceding the previous fiscal year and the current fiscal year (Sec. 2.a.B).

• Requires the governing authority to also place an advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation serving the residents of the unit of local government and post such advertisement on the website of the governing authority, which describes the proposed percentage reduction in police services from the previous year's appropriation for police services (Sec. 2.c-3).

• Prohibits this law from applying to any consolidated government that operates a police force, and such police force will be considered a municipal police force (Sec. 2.d).

• Requires the governing authority of each county and municipality that currently provides electronic payroll deposits to employees shall also provide payroll deductions to any full-time or part-time public safety employee who requests such a deduction for the purpose of purchasing insurance that provides such public safety employee with legal representation during all civil, administrative, or criminal actions caused as a result of his or her role or responsibilities as a public safety employee (Sec. 3.b).

• Specifies the deduction will only be used to pay the premiums on insurance plans that are compliant within current ERISA standards and any dues or fees required by any professional organization that owns and provides such ERISA compliant product as a benefit of membership (Sec. 3.b).

Full Bill Text