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Georgia governor to sign bill criminalizing squatting: 'Insane that it
even happens'
by RAY LEWIS | The National DeskWed, April 24th 2024 at 10:14 AM
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during Georgia Chamber Congressional
Luncheon at The Classic Center, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Athens, Ga.
(Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during Georgia Chamber Congressional
Luncheon at The Classic Center, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Athens, Ga.
(Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)

ATLANTA (TND) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp plans to sign a bill Wednesday
criminalizing squatting in the state.

The Georgia Squatter Reform Act, which passed the state legislature last
month, will make it illegal for someone to live on another person’s land
without approval.

"This is insanity that people just think they can come in and take over
somebody's home,” Gov. Kemp told FOX News in an interview. “I mean, it's
just outrageous."
Squatters will face arrest and a fine based on the monthly rental rate
of the involved property, which landowners could also sue for. Gov. Kemp
argued the act prevents squatters from skirting similar laws.

"Unfortunately, bad actors have figured out ways to take advantage of
this – exploit, really – the process that goes through the local
government,” he claimed. “We’re passing legislation ... to stiffen the
penalties, to go after these folks, to also speed up the eviction
process, but also allow the property owner to go after these squatters
for damages."

READ MORE | Squatters take over Gordon Ramsay's London pub to send
'wealth disparities' message

State Rep. Devan Seabaugh, R-Marietta, introduced the bill roughly two
months after Florida lawmakers began considering a similar act.

"This legislation is long overdue, and I know it is going to expedite
the process for Georgia property owners having to deal with criminals
squatting in their homes. If you break into someone's home and think you
are going to reside there, you are mistaken,” State Rep. Seabaugh said.
“There are no more free homes in Georgia.”

Squatting issues, which Republican officials have attributed to an
influx of undocumented immigrants into the U.S., develop due to
President Joe Biden’s approach to the southern border, according to Gov.
Kemp.

“It really points to, as we've seen around the country, the lawlessness
that's gone on under the Biden administration and, quite honestly, a lot
of liberal cities around the country where locally appointed judiciary
is not acting on these things,” Gov. Kemp said.
READ MORE | Squatting migrants in Bronx basement rearrested after
shocking haul of weapons and drugs

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill last month increasing penalties
for squatters, which he claimed ended a “squatters scam.”

"It’s insane that it even happens to start with. But, then, when you
can’t remove these people from your own property – as a property owner
myself, it goes to the insanity of the world that we’re living in now,”
Gov. Kemp stated Wednesday. “I know that Gov. DeSantis isn’t going to
put up with that, and neither are we.”

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