Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed legislation Friday to limit how much local governments in Georgia can cut funding for police agencies.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, forbids cities and counties from cutting the budgets of most police agencies in the state by more than 5% over a five-year period, except during times of financial trouble such as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its passage largely along party lines in the General Assembly came as Republican lawmakers moved to block efforts to reduce police budgets in the wake of last summer’s nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Democratic leaders slammed the measure as a power grab by the state over local governments, noting also that criminal-justice advocates have largely called for shifting some budget dollars from law enforcement to other areas like mental health and housing rather than outright gutting police agencies.