ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia state Senate committee is reviving a proposal to declare more protests illegal and enact harsher penalties for acts including blocking highways.
The Senate Public Safety Committee on Thursday voted 5-3 to overhaul House Bill 289, replacing unrelated language with most of another bill sponsored by Republican Randy Robertson of Cataula.
That bill had failed to win a vote in a different Senate committee after members expressed concerns about violating free speech and assembly rights.
The committee also voted to approve House Bill 286, a Republican-based bill to block “defund the police” movements in cities and counties.
It says local governments generally can’t cut spending on their police departments by more than 5% a year.
