(AP Photo/Matt York, File)ATLANTA – A Republican-backed bill advancing in the Georgia House would block “defund the police” movements in cities and counties, after Atlanta and Athens debated plans to cut or redirect spending following racial injustice protests last year.
House Bill 286 says cities and counties can't cut spending on their police departments by more than 5% a year.
An Associated Press review found that while some local governments trimmed police budgets, cuts were mostly modest.
Cities could also abolish their police forces and contract with counties for law enforcement if they guarantee equivalent levels of protection.
Georgia cities and counties oppose the bill, though, saying state lawmakers shouldn’t be wading into local decisions on how much to spend on governmental services.