Georgia CommonsHB 1513: Fayette County; State Court; change compensation of judge
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-06-01
A House bill would raise the base salaries of the State Court of Fayette County judge and solicitor and set a formula for periodic longevity increases tied to completed four-year terms.
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 Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This bill amends the 1994 Act that created the State Court of Fayette County to update how much the court's judge and solicitor are paid. It sets the judge's base salary at $175,844.82 per year and the solicitor's base salary at $154,605.20 per year, both paid monthly from Fayette County funds. Beyond the base salary, both officials would get additional pay equal to 5 percent of their base salary for each completed four-year term served after July 1, 2022. That extra pay kicks in on January 1 following the completion of each such term. The bill also allows local or general law to supplement these salaries further. It would take effect on the first day of the month after the Governor signs it or it becomes law without a signature.
What the bill does
- Sets the base salary of the State Court of Fayette County judge at $175,844.82 per year, paid monthly from county funds.
- Sets the base salary of the State Court of Fayette County solicitor at $154,605.20 per year, paid monthly from county funds.
- Creates a longevity bonus for both officials equal to 5 percent of their base salary for each completed four-year term served after July 1, 2022.
- Specifies that longevity bonuses start on January 1 following the completion of each qualifying four-year term.
- Allows the base salaries to be supplemented further under other general or local law.
- Sets the effective date as the first day of the month after the Governor signs the bill or it becomes law without a signature.
Who it affects
The judge and solicitor of the State Court of Fayette County, and Fayette County government, which pays their salaries from county funds.
Why it matters
The change directly affects how much Fayette County pays two of its court officials, including built-in raises tied to years of service, which shapes the county's budget and how the officials' compensation grows over time.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises Section 17 of the 1994 Act to set the judge's base salary at $175,844.82 and add a term-based longevity bonus.
- Section 2 revises Section 21 of the 1994 Act to set the solicitor's base salary at $154,605.20 and add a matching longevity bonus.
- Both longevity bonuses equal 5 percent of base salary per completed four-year term served after July 1, 2022, starting the following January 1.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as the first day of the month after the Governor's approval or the bill becoming law without signature.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The judge of the State Court of Fayette County shall receive a base salary in an amount equal to $175,844.82.”
“the judge shall receive additional compensation in an amount equal to 5 percent of the amount provided for in subsection (a) of this section multiplied by the number of completed four-year terms of office served by the judge”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-06-01
- Act 576
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)
- Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
- Debra Bazemore (D, HD-069)
- Derrick Jackson (D, HD-068)
Votes
- House voteMarch 12, 2026
158 yea, 0 nay (10 not voting, 8 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 19, 2026
49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)
Topics
- Fayette County
- state court judges
- local government salaries
- county government