Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp has signed a raft of bills overhauling public education in the state, including one banning books deemed to be “offensive” from school libraries. Another bill bars classroom discussion of so-called divisive concepts pertaining to race. The Protect Students First Act also empowers an athletic oversight committee to exclude transgender children from playing high school sports. In a statement, Human Rights Campaign wrote, “Self-serving politicians, catering to an extreme portion of their party’s base, are showing that they’re willing to harm vulnerable kids who just want to play with their friends.”
Meanwhile, Governor Kemp has signed a bill instituting a flat rate for state income taxes that will disproportionately benefit wealthy Georgians.