Georgia's Republican governor on Tuesday issued his final 16
vetoes of legislation passed this session by the GOP-controlled
legislature, most notably breaking with his party over a
controversial measure that would have allowed firearms on college
and university campuses.
Gov. Nathan Deal, who last month vetoed a religious liberty
proposal that, he said, contained language which "could give
rise to state-sanctioned discrimination," blocked no fewer
than 17 bills this year, the largest number since moving into the
governor's mansion in January 2011.
Those measures include House Bill 859, which would have amended
school safety statutes barring the open carry of firearms on state
college and university campuses, and HB 779, which would have
created a state-level regulatory framework for unmanned aircraft
that the governor believed could eventually conflict with pending
federal rules.
