(Bloomberg) -- Georgia's legislature passed a measure giving criminal investigators new powers to probe election fraud, a victory for supporters of former President Donald Trump.
The measure would allow the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate election fraud complaints without being asked to do so by the secretary of state. A similar measure died in a Senate committee last month. Trump has repeatedly made unfounded claims of fraud in Georgia after his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden.
Governor Brian Kemp, who is in a Republican primary fight against Trump-backed opponent David Perdue, is expected to sign the bill. Trump has targeted Kemp for not supporting his stolen-election claims. Kemp has 40 days to sign the legislation. The primary is May 24.
Read more: New Georgia voting bill prompts $1.4 million effort to stop it
The Republican-controlled legislature also passed a $30.2 billion budget that raises pay for teachers, cuts income taxes and increases lawmaker pensions. On the final day of its session on Monday, the legislature also passed bills limiting how race is discussed in secondary education and creating a study committee to look at transgender competition in sports, a compromise after a previous version of the bill had explicitly banned it.
In other action, the legislature reduced the state income tax rate to 4.99% from 5.77% and more than tripled the standard exemption.
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