Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1461: Muscogee County; Superior Court; salary of the clerk of superior court and the chief deputy clerk; change provisions
Last action March 19, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
A House bill would change how the salaries of the Muscogee County superior court clerk and chief deputy clerk are calculated, tying both to a percentage of superior court judges' base pay.
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
This bill amends a 1952 law that sets pay for the clerk of the Superior Court of Muscogee County. Under the bill, the clerk's salary would be set at not less than 80 percent of the base salary paid to superior court judges in Muscogee County, paid from county funds. The bill also updates the pay rule for the chief deputy clerk, a position appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the clerk. The chief deputy clerk's salary would be set by the clerk but must be at least 65 percent of the superior court judges' base salary, also paid from county funds. The changes would take effect on the first day of the month after the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law.
What the bill does
- Sets the Muscogee County superior court clerk's salary at not less than 80 percent of the base salary paid to superior court judges in that county.
- Sets the chief deputy clerk's salary at not less than 65 percent of the superior court judges' base salary, with the exact amount fixed by the clerk.
- Requires both salaries to be paid from Muscogee County funds rather than any other source.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these new salary provisions.
- Sets the effective date as the first day of the month following the bill's approval by the Governor or its becoming law without approval.
Who it affects
The clerk of the Superior Court of Muscogee County and the chief deputy clerk position are directly affected, along with Muscogee County government, which pays both salaries out of county funds, and superior court judges, whose base pay serves as the benchmark for the clerks' salaries.
Why it matters
The change ties two county courthouse salaries to a percentage of judicial pay rather than a fixed dollar figure, meaning the clerk's and chief deputy clerk's pay would automatically shift whenever superior court judges' base salary changes, affecting Muscogee County's budget and courthouse staffing costs.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises the 1952 compensation act to set the clerk's salary at not less than 80 percent of superior court judges' base salary in Muscogee County, paid from county funds.
- Section 2 revises the chief deputy clerk provision, keeping the position appointed by and serving at the clerk's pleasure, and setting a minimum salary of 65 percent of judges' base salary.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as the first day of the month following the Governor's approval or the bill becoming law without approval.
- Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The salary of the clerk of the Superior Court of Muscogee County shall be not less than 80 percent of the base salary for superior court judges in Muscogee County.”
“the salary of the chief deputy clerk; provided, however, that such salary shall be not less than 65 percent of the base salary for superior court judges in Muscogee county”
Discussed in meetings (4)
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 floor session, March 18, 2026 (legislative day 33)
From 0:51:00 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2701
Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk read a committee recommendation to pass HB 1461 and later included it in the local calendar for Columbus and Muscogee County. There was no individual presentation or debate. The House passed the package, 161 to 2.
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Tremaine Teddy Reese (D, HD-140)
- Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
- Debbie Buckner (D, HD-137)
Votes
- House voteMarch 18, 2026
161 yea, 2 nay (7 not voting, 6 excused)
Topics
- Muscogee County government
- court clerk pay
- local legislation
- county salaries