Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) forced a bill covering a variety of litigation rules through the Georgia Senate on Friday after he threatened Republican lawmakers with primary consequences if they didn’t back it.

The bill passed 33-21, with Republican state Sen. Colton Moore the only one from his party to say no and Democratic state Sen. Emanuel Jones joining with Republicans voting for the bill.

Kemp has called the fight for “tort reform” one of the messiest of his political career. Despite the initial fight over the bill, Kemp’s power and influence appear to have won out and advanced the bill.

“Thank you to all those who voted to support hardworking Georgians and our small businesses by passing SB 68 out of the Senate,” Kemp posted on X. “This is a strong bill that will stabilize the cost of insurance and the cost of doing business in our state, which means more jobs, stronger communities, and greater opportunity for Georgia families!”

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The bill will now need to proceed through Georgia’s General Assembly, where Republicans have a 33-23 majority.

The legislation covers “tort reform,” which limits the payouts from lawsuits in the state. Kemp is hoping the reform will decrease insurance costs for state businesses. Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, the sponsor of the proposal, denied that the bill is geared toward “corporate profits.”

“This legislation is not about protecting corporate profits,” Kennedy said. “It’s not about caving to the demands of the insurance companies or denying Georgians their ability to be fully and fairly compensated when they need to go to court. Instead, it is about stabilizing costs and putting all Georgians, no matter where your ZIP code is, first.”

Democrats viewed the bill as another opportunity to give “handouts” to corporate America. “It’s a massive giveaway to an industry that doesn’t need another handout,” Democratic state Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes said.

Kemp previously threatened to call lawmakers to a special session if they failed to pass the bill and raised the primary threat after critics of the bill sought to eliminate a provision requiring plaintiffs to show the actual medical costs instead of initial bills that sometimes have inflated estimates.

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After the primary threat, lawmakers were able to compromise.

The legislation, if passed and signed into law, will do several things including limiting when businesses can be sued for injuries occurring on their property, allowing juries to consider whether a plaintiff was wearing a seat belt in an injury lawsuit, and banning attorneys from recovering legal fees twice in certain cases.