Kemp vetoes bill expanding need-based aid for students
Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed legislation that would have provided more needs-based financial aid to Georgia college students and would have allowed veterans to participate in a tuitionfree, commercial driver’s license training program.
The governor’s veto of House Bill 249 on Friday was among 14 measures he rejected ahead of a deadline next week to sign proposals into law or reject them.
The financial aid measure was designed as an expansion of legislation from last year to help students who can’t afford their tuition. It would have increased the maximum award students can receive to $3,500, up from $2,500.
In addition to providing larger awards to needy students, the bill would have made students eligible for help earlier in their academic studies and established the veterans training program, long a priority for advocates.
Kemp said he supports veterans initiatives and efforts to make education more affordable, but that he rejected the measure because the expansion is “subject to appropriations and the General Assembly failed to fully fund these educational incentives.”
He also rejected a measure that would have required the state to offer health savings accounts to employees on a pre-tax basis. His veto statement said Senate Bill 199 enacted the change “without a full understanding of the fiscal impact … to the state.”
One of the most consequential Kemp vetoes took effect in early April, shortly after the legislative session ended, when he quickly rejected a bill that would require legislative approval before state universities could raise tuition or fees by more than 3%.
That power typically belongs to the state Board of Regents, many of whose members are allied with Kemp. His veto means that the higher education system, not the legislative branch, will continue to make the final call on tuition increases.
It was part of a broader feud between state senators and the higher education system that intensified this year over backlash involving the $105 million taxpayerfunded tech upgrade for the Medical College of Georgia that could benefit Wellstar Health System.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones saw the spending as a giveaway and led the Senate to slash $66 million from the higher ed budget. He also sparred with Wellstar over its objections to a proposed private hospital that could have benefited Jones’ family.
Kemp’s veto cited the separation of powers established by the state constitution and its rejection didn’t surprise legislators. But the quick timing was a sign that the governor would rebuke even Republican allies if he thinks they overstepped.