Overview
- More than 35 Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday demanded Gov. Brian Kemp use a special legislative session to open an independent investigation into contracts awarded to Centegix, a company founded by members of Derek Dooley’s family.
- Kemp’s office responded later the same day by calling the allegations partisan and saying the $520 million school safety program was distributed to local districts that choose vendors, so the governor lacks procurement authority.
- State records reported by local outlets show Centegix received tens of millions of dollars in school-safety-related contracts during Kemp’s administration, though the exact number of non-competitive or no-bid awards remains unresolved.
- Lawmakers pointed to more than $100,000 in political contributions from Dooley family-related sources to Kemp-aligned groups and said those transfers raise questions about a possible pay-to-play link to Dooley’s Senate campaign.
- No independent investigation has been announced and officials have not confirmed whether the special session agenda will include the inquiry, leaving open which officials or records would be reviewed and whether other vendors were excluded from contracts.