HB85: HB85 Superior Court Judicial Compensation Reform Act; enact

Under current law, superior court judges receive a state salary plus, in many circuits, extra county salary supplements that vary widely from circuit to circuit. House Bill 85 creates a new optional pay system. Judges in office on July 1, 2025 can choose to switch to the new system, which combines a state salary (capped at 90% of the base pay of federal district judges) with optional county 'locality pay' capped at 10% of that state salary or a set dollar amount. Judges who don't switch keep their current pay, including existing county supplements, for the rest of their term. The bill phases out most county salary supplements going forward, though counties can keep paying supplements to chief judges (frozen at current levels) and can keep providing existing fringe and retirement benefits. It also temporarily freezes local laws that tie other officials' pay to a superior court judge's salary, lifting that freeze for judges on July 1, 2026. The changes take effect July 1, 2025.

• Creates an optional new compensation system for superior court judges combining a capped state salary with county 'locality pay,' while letting judges in office keep their old pay if they don't opt in.
• Caps locality pay counties can provide at 10 percent of the state salary or $20,106, whichever is less, with a formula reducing that cap further as the state salary rises above $201,060.
• Phases out most county salary supplements to superior court judges starting July 1, 2025, but allows counties to keep paying frozen supplements to chief judges.
• Caps the state-set annual salary for superior court judges at 90 percent of the base salary paid to federal judges on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
• Temporarily suspends local laws, ordinances, or resolutions that tie other officials' pay to a superior court judge's salary, lifting the suspension for judges on July 1, 2026.
• Preserves existing fringe benefits and retirement benefits counties already provide to superior court judges.

Superior court judges statewide, especially those choosing whether to opt into the new pay structure; county governments and commissions that pay judicial salary supplements and locality pay; the Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia; and any state, county, or local officials whose pay is tied by local law to a superior court judge's salary.

The bill changes how much money counties must budget for judicial pay and standardizes how judges are compensated across circuits, while protecting judges already in office from a pay cut. It also delays automatic pay increases for other officials whose salaries are pegged to judicial pay, easing sudden budget impacts on local governments.

• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 15-6-29 so judges in office on July 1, 2025 can irrevocably opt into the new pay system or keep their current pay and county supplements for the rest of their term.
• Section 3 removes a limitation provision in the accountability court supplement law (O.C.G.A. § 15-6-29.1).
• Section 4 adds O.C.G.A. § 15-6-29.2, authorizing county 'locality pay' in place of salary supplements, capping it at 10 percent of state salary or $20,106 (with a phase-down above $201,060 in state salary), and ending most new county salary supplements after July 1, 2025 except for chief judges.
• Section 4 also guarantees judges who opt into the new system won't lose existing retirement or fringe benefits, and requires counties to make up any pay gap for judges who switch, up to their prior aggregate pay.
• Section 5 amends O.C.G.A. § 45-7-4 to cap the state-set judicial salary at 90 percent of the base salary of federal district judges in the Northern District of Georgia.
• Section 6 adds O.C.G.A. § 1-3-12, suspending local laws that tie other officials' compensation to judicial salary increases, with the suspension lifting for judges on July 1, 2026.
• Section 7 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2025.

1. 2025-05-12Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-12Act 112
3. 2025-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-09House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2025-03-21Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2025-03-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)Primary sponsor
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)
• Stan Gunter (R, HD-008)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 20, 2025

   163 yea, 7 nay (3 not voting, 7 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #51

2. FailedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

   18 yea, 33 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #1 By The Senator From The 26th: Senate Vote #317

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

   51 yea, 2 nay (1 not voting, 2 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #318

• judicial pay
• superior court judges
• county government funding
• state salaries
• local government law