Kemp vetoes bills that would have halted tax exemptions, others with 'unintended' consequences

Georgia’s state lawmakers have finished their work for the year, but at the state capitol, the real drama wasn't quite yet over on Tuesday.

May 7, which marked exactly 40 days since the end of the 2024 legislative session, was the deadline this year for Gov. Brian Kemp to sign bills into laws. The legislation included the 2025 state budget, which Kemp signed Tuesday morning.

But just as important as what the governor signed is what he chose to veto.

Vetoes usually come at the very end of the 40-day signing period. Any bills that are vetoed will be returned to the legislature at the beginning of the next session, and the bill must pass each chamber with a two-thirds majority.

Here’s a closer look at some of the bills that failed to win Kemp’s approval:

More: On the final day of bill signings, Kemp approves $36.1 billion state budget

Homestead exemptions

House Bill 1019, a homestead exemption bill that has been one of the biggest priorities for Republican lawmakers throughout the legislative session, was vetoed due to what amounts to a legislative typo.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Reeves (R- Duluth), would have posed a referendum question to voters in the November general election, letting them decide whether to raise the current homestead exemption from $2,000 to $4,000.

An earlier draft would have raised the exemption from $2,000 to $10,000, but that number was changed during a state Senate Finance Committee hearing. However, those changes were not reflected in the final referendum question.

“Voters would therefore be approving a different exemption which the legislature did not pass, while the statutory language would never receive the voter approval needed for it to take effect,” Kemp noted in a news release. “This conflict between the statutory language and the referendum language precludes implementation of House Bill 1019.”

Foreign nationals and campaign finances

Senate Bill 368, a measure that would ban non-U.S citizens from donating to Georgia state candidates or election campaigns, was also vetoed by Kemp at the request of Sen. Rick Williams (R-Milledgeville), the bill’s sponsor.

The legislation would also have required foreign nationals conducting business in Georgia to register with the State Ethics Commissioner. It passed unanimously in the Senate, and 161-2 in the House.

However, Kemp said late additions ultimately capsized the measure. The bill, he noted, “would prohibit foreign nationals from making political contributions, which is already prohibited by federal law, and impose additional state-level registration requirements on agents of foreign principals, some of which were unintended by the bill’s sponsor.”

Data center tax incentives

House Bill 1192 would have temporarily suspended a state sales tax exemption that sought to incentivize the creation of data centers, or facilities that house computers, hardware and IT infrastructure. Under current law, the tax exemption for the centers will expire in 2031, but the bill would have changed that date, suspending the credit starting in July.

“The bill’s language would prevent the issuance of exemption certificates after an abrupt July 1, 2024 deadline for many customers of projects that are already in development − undermining the investments made by high-technology data center operators, customers, and other stakeholders in reliance on the recent extension, and inhibiting important infrastructure and job development,” Kemp noted.

A full list of bills that Kemp vetoed is available at gov.georgia.gov.

Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on Georgia politics. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @MayaHoman. 

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Gov. Kemp kills 12 bills on final day of signings