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

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

• 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.

1. 2026-02-12House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-02-06House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-05House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-04House Hopper (House)

• Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)Primary sponsor
• Brad Thomas (R, HD-021)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)

• state militia
• military retirement
• Georgia National Guard
• veterans