Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1260: Local government; cessation of payment of salary, compensation, and expenses to members of county and municipal governing authorities who fail to certify completion of mandatory training; provide
Last action March 3, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would cut off pay and expenses for county and city council members who do not complete required training and certify it on time, until they do.
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 Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law already requires newly elected members of county and municipal governing authorities to complete a training course on local government administration. This bill adds a deadline and a financial consequence. Elected officials would have to finish the training by July 1 of the year after their election and certify completion to the clerk within 30 days. If a county or city governing authority member fails to certify that training, the county or municipal government would have to stop paying that member's salary, compensation, and expenses. The member would get nothing until they provide the certification. The bill amends four sections of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated covering county and municipal compensation and training rules, and repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Requires county governing authority members to complete mandatory training by July 1 of the year after their election, and to certify completion to the county clerk within 30 days.
- Requires municipal governing authority members to meet the same training completion and certification deadlines.
- Cuts off salary, compensation, and expense payments to a county governing authority member who fails to certify completed training, until they do so.
- Cuts off salary, compensation, and expense payments to a municipal governing authority member who fails to certify completed training, until they do so.
- Amends O.C.G.A. §§ 36-5-24, 36-20-4, 36-35-4, and 36-45-4 to add these deadlines and pay-suspension rules.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these new requirements.
Who it affects
Elected members of county commissions and city councils across Georgia who are subject to mandatory training requirements, along with county and municipal clerks who must track certifications, and the local finance offices responsible for stopping and later resuming pay.
Why it matters
Georgia already requires new local officials to take training, but there was no firm deadline or financial penalty for skipping it. Under this bill, officials who miss the certification deadline would lose their pay and expense reimbursements until they complete and certify the training.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new subsection (b.1) to O.C.G.A. § 36-5-24 requiring counties to stop paying a governing authority member who has not certified completed training.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 36-20-4 to set a July 1 completion deadline and a 30 day certification deadline for county officials' training.
- Section 3 adds a new subsection (a.1) to O.C.G.A. § 36-35-4 requiring municipalities to stop paying a governing authority member who has not certified completed training.
- Section 4 amends O.C.G.A. § 36-45-4 to set the same July 1 completion deadline and 30 day certification deadline for municipal officials' training.
- Section 5 repeals any conflicting state laws.
From the bill
“the applicable county governing authority shall cease payment of salary, compensation, expenses, or expenses in the nature of compensation to such member, and the member shall be entitled to no such salary, compensation, expenses, or expenses in the nature of compensation until such member provides such certification”
“shall satisfactorily complete such course of training and education no later than July 1 of the year following the year of the election of such person as a member of a county governing authority and shall certify such completion to the clerk of the applicable county governing authority within 30 days of such certification”
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 Governmental Affairs Committee, March 2, 2026
From 0:30:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said newly elected local officials already must complete training, but current law provides no penalty for failing to do so. The sponsor explained that the bill would stop salary, other compensation and expense reimbursements for county and municipal governing officials who fail to complete the training within the allowed time, until they comply. The sponsor said the proposal was developed with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, ACCG and the Georgia Municipal Association and was unchanged from subcommittee. With no questions or public testimony, the committee approved it by voice vote.
House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026
From 0:42:15 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1260 would stop salary and expense payments to local elected officials who fail to complete required introductory training within a reasonable time. Payments would resume after training. The sponsor said existing law requires training but provides no penalty for failing to take it. No questions or decision followed.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
- James Burchett (R, HD-176)
- Johnny Chastain (R, HD-7)
- Joe Campbell (R, HD-171)
- Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
- Al Williams (D, HD-168)
Topics
- local government training
- county commissioners
- city council pay
- government ethics
- municipal government