https://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/tags/governor-kemp/Recent content in Governor-Kemp on WACN 21 NewsHugoen-us© 2026 WACN 21 News. All rights reserved.Fri, 15 May 2026 10:30:00 -0400https://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/politics/kemp-signs-service-dog-protections/Fri, 15 May 2026 10:30:00 -0400https://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/politics/kemp-signs-service-dog-protections/<p>Governor Brian Kemp signed <strong>House Bill 668</strong> into law on Thursday, giving Georgia some of the strongest service dog protections in the Southeast and taking direct aim at the growing problem of fake service animals in public spaces.</p> <p>The legislation, passed during the <strong>2026 legislative session</strong>, does two things: it significantly increases criminal penalties for anyone who intentionally harms or kills a service dog, and it makes it a <strong>misdemeanor offense</strong> to falsely represent a pet as a service animal.</p>https://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/state/georgia-early-literacy-act-2026/Tue, 05 May 2026 14:00:00 -0400https://wacn21-news-1a92c2.pages.catalystgroup.tech/state/georgia-early-literacy-act-2026/<p>Governor Brian Kemp signed the <strong>Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026</strong> into law Monday, committing the state to its most ambitious investment in childhood reading instruction in at least a generation.</p> <p>The legislation — <strong>House Bill 1193</strong> — directs Quality Basic Education funding to place a dedicated <strong>literacy coach in every public school</strong> serving students in kindergarten through third grade. The Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes <strong>$70 million</strong> for school-based coaches and an additional <strong>$18.5 million</strong> for regional coaching coordinators.</p>