Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1184: Military; treat retired officers the same as warrant officers and enlisted persons at the same grade as such members earned during their military service
Last action February 12, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported
A Georgia House bill would end the practice of letting retired state militia officers transfer to the retired list at one grade higher than they actually held, putting them on the same footing as warrant officers and enlisted members.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law governing the state militia (O.C.G.A. § 38-2-9), an officer with at least 20 years of service could ask the Governor to be transferred to the state retired list at a grade one level higher than the highest grade the officer actually held during service. Warrant officers and enlisted members did not get that bonus; they could only retire at the grade equivalent to what they actually earned. This bill removes that officer-only bonus. It deletes the subsection giving officers the one-grade boost and rewrites the remaining rule so that officers, warrant officers, and enlisted members are all treated the same: anyone with at least 20 years of combined militia or military service can retire at the grade equivalent to the highest grade they actually held. It also updates pronouns to include 'her' alongside 'him' throughout the section. Other parts of the retired-list rules, such as recall to active duty and how service time counts toward seniority, stay the same.
What the bill does
- Deletes the rule letting retired militia officers transfer to the state retired list at a grade one level higher than they actually earned.
- Rewrites the retirement grade rule so officers, warrant officers, and enlisted persons all retire at the grade equivalent to the highest grade actually held.
- Keeps the 20-year service requirement, counting time in the organized militia or combined militia and U.S. armed forces service.
- Updates the law's language to refer to 'him or her' instead of only 'him' when describing retired members.
- Leaves unchanged the rules on recalling retired members to active duty and on how retired time counts toward seniority and pay.
Who it affects
Members of Georgia's organized militia, particularly officers who serve at least 20 years and were previously eligible for a one-grade bump upon retirement, as well as warrant officers and enlisted personnel whose existing retirement grade rules remain the model applied to everyone.
Why it matters
Retired officers in the Georgia militia would no longer receive an automatic grade bump above what they actually earned, which could affect their retirement rank, associated status, and any benefits tied to that grade, aligning their treatment with warrant officers and enlisted members.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 38-2-9(b) by removing the provision letting officers retire one grade above the highest grade they held.
- Section 1 revises the renumbered subsection so officers, warrant officers, and enlisted persons all transfer to the retired list at the grade equivalent to their highest grade held.
- The 20-year service requirement, combining militia and U.S. armed forces time, is retained for eligibility to request this retirement grade.
- The provision allowing the Governor to recall retired members to active duty for courts, boards, staff duty, or emergencies is preserved without substantive change.
- Section 2 repeals all conflicting laws, a standard clean-up provision.
From the bill
“Any officer, warrant officer, or enlisted person who has served for at least 20 years in the organized militia or in the organized militia and the armed forces of the United States combined, upon his or her request, may be transferred to the state retired list by the Governor in a grade equivalent to the highest grade held by him or her during such service.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Defense & Veterans Affairs Committee, February 11, 2026
From 0:17:00 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor introduced the bill as a Georgia Department of Defense request concerning honorary promotions for retiring National Guard officers. After initially suggesting recipients could wear the honorary rank, the sponsor accepted a correction that they could not. A department representative said the bill would end the honorary promotion option, which applied to officers but not enlisted members. The representative said some retirees wore the state honorary rank on federal uniforms, which was not permitted and required staff to counsel them. One committee member confirmed that the bill would end the program entirely. Another asked about its original purpose and benefits. The representative described it as recognition at retirement and said it provided no pension increase or other benefit. The sponsor and representative explained differences between state and federal service, with the representative emphasizing that honorary ranks were not federally recognized. Asked about penalties, the representative said existing state and federal laws already addressed unauthorized uniform use, so no new penalty was needed. The representative said ending the option would align Georgia with active duty, reserves and every other state known to the representative. The committee passed the bill unanimously.
House Rules Committee, February 17, 2026
From 0:30:07 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the Georgia National Guard requested the bill to end honorary promotions for retiring Guard officers. The sponsor said this would treat officers like noncommissioned officers and prevent wearing an honorary higher rank after retirement. No questions or decision followed.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Josh Bonner (R, HD-73)
- Brad Thomas (R, HD-21)
- Chas Cannon (R, HD-172)
- Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
Topics
- state militia
- military retirement
- Georgia National Guard
- veterans