Advocates urge Georgia lawmakers to restore domestic violence funding after governor's veto: "The impact is kind of a perfect storm"

Domestic violence advocates, survivors, and lawmakers are calling on the Georgia General Assembly to restore millions of dollars of funding.

The push comes after Gov. Brian Kemp vetoed more than $13 million in funding approved by lawmakers for domestic violence and sexual assault programs as part of the state's budget.

Supporters gathered at the Georgia State Capitol recently urging legislators to override the governor's veto. They argued the cuts come at a time when demand for services is increasing.

Urban areas like Atlanta and Savannah are seeing especially steep increases in domestic violence, with the Savannah Police Department reporting a record number of domestic violence cases in 2025 alone.

"This past session, with your help, we passed the Family Justice Center Act with every single one of your votes, and the governor signed it into law on May 12," said State Rep. Esther Panitch. "His signature opened doors for survivors, but yet on the same day and likely with the same pen, he slammed that door in their faces by cutting $9.4 million from domestic violence shelters and $3.3 million from sexual assault centers."

According to advocates, domestic violence programs across Georgia answered more than 70,000 crisis calls last year. 

Data from the Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV)  also shows 163 Georgians died in domestic violence-related incidents in 2025.

The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV) says between 50 to 60 shelters and service providers statewide could be affected by the loss of funding. That includes several in metro Atlanta.

"The impact is kind of a perfect storm," said Karimah Dillard, Director of Policy for the GCADV. "We were shocked that domestic violence victims and sexual assault victims were, excuse the expression, on the chopping block when the governor disregarded funds that had been appropriated by the General Assembly."

Dillard explained recent information gathered by GCFV pertaining to domestic violence. 

"Most recent data collected from the Georgia Commission on Family Violence has shown about a 10 percent decrease in domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement, but there has been a huge increase in the amount of people seeking out services from domestic violence shelters and community-based programs," Dillard said.

Dillard says many programs may be forced to reduce staffing, eliminate prevention efforts, and scale back victim advocacy services.

"The first programs to get cut are typically prevention programs and legal advocacy," Dillard said. "These are programs that not only protect victims as they are seeking protective orders, but we're talking about preventing domestic violence from ever happening in the first place."

Advocates also warn Georgia could see an increase in domestic violence fatalities. 

"Somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of domestic violence fatalities involve a murder-suicide, and most are multiple fatalities, not just victims and perpetrators, but also children," Dillard said. "We expect that number is going to be much higher if we are not able to fill in that funding gap."

In October, CBS News Atlanta talked to a woman personally impacted by domestic violence. Katrina Flewellyn says she survived 12 years in an abusive marriage, sharing her story during a candlelight vigil honoring victims of domestic violence. 

During the event, advocates and families read the names of those who lost their lives to domestic violence across Georgia.

Advocates say funding cuts could leave survivors with fewer options when they decide to leave dangerous situations.

"Shelters will have to reimagine what shelter looks like," Dillard said. "I would hate to imagine a scenario where a survivor experiencing violence calls a shelter at 2 a.m. saying, 'I really need a safety plan. I really want to leave,' and getting nobody on the other side of the phone."

Gov. Kemp's office has said the vetoes were part of broader spending reductions made after lawmakers approved a tax-cut package that created a budget shortfall. 

His office says in a statement: 

"Georgia is statutorily mandated to maintain a balanced budget, which state lawmakers failed to do this past session, forcing cuts of new — and only new — funding. The governor has insured state funding is going to these types of services and also allocated over $39 million in ARPA funding across several years for these very same organizations after the federal government cut their funding previously. This is a very well-intentioned issue, one that advocates should take to their federal representatives who cut the funding in the first place." 

Because lives are at stake, advocates say they will continue working with lawmakers to identify options for restoring the funding. 

They say it's imperative that Georgia ensure domestic violence and sexual assault programs continue serving victims.