---
title: HB 858. Cobb County; State Court; change compensation and number of certain staff of solicitor-general
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb858
cite_as: HB 858, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb858
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb858.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb858/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71660
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb857.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb859.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1491
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb858.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 858
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
  - Terry Cummings
  - Lisa Campbell
  - Devan Seabaugh
  - Mekyah McQueen
  - Jordan Ridley
  - John Carson
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB858/2025
upstream_id: 2014708
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Cobb County government
  - state courts
  - local government salaries
  - prosecutors and solicitors
  - Georgia local legislation
---

# HB 858. Cobb County; State Court; change compensation and number of certain staff of solicitor-general

## Text

House Bill 858 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Cummings of the 39th, Campbell of the 35th, Seabaugh of the 34th,
McQueen of the 61st, Ridley of the 22nd, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act creating the State Court of Cobb County, approved March 26, 1964 (Ga. L.
1964, p. 3211), as amended, particularly by an Act approved May 3, 2017 (Ga. L. 2017, p.
3750), so as to provide for additional assistant solicitor positions; to change the salaries of
certain staff of the solicitor-general; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act creating the State Court of Cobb County, approved March 26, 1964 (Ga. L. 1964, p.
3211), as amended, particularly by an Act approved May 3, 2017 (Ga. L. 2017, p. 3750), is
amended by revising subsection (d) of Section 27 as follows:
"(d)(1) The solicitor-general shall have the authority to appoint two assistant solicitors
for each judge of Division I and Division II of the State Court of Cobb County and the
same number of additional assistant solicitors as the number of full-time magistrates of
the Magistrate Court of Cobb County, plus four additional assistant solicitors, who shall
serve at the pleasure of the solicitor-general and who shall assist the solicitor-general in
the performance of his or her duties. All assistant solicitors shall have been admitted to
the practice of law in all of the courts of this state and be members in good standing of
the State Bar of Georgia. Except as otherwise provided by law, all assistant solicitors
shall be compensated a sum of at least $83,400.00 annually beginning on January 1,
2027. The exact amount of said compensation shall be determined by the
solicitor-general of the State Court of Cobb County and approved by the governing
authority of Cobb County. The sum shall be payable in equal monthly installments from
the general funds of the county.
(2) The solicitor-general is authorized to designate a specific number of assistant
solicitors to serve as supervisors. The solicitor-general shall prescribe the duties and
assignments of such assistant solicitors and, while so employed, such assistant solicitors
shall not engage in the private practice of law."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 858 would let Cobb County's State Court solicitor-general hire more assistant solicitors and would raise their minimum annual pay to $83,400 starting January 1, 2027.

### Plain-language summary

This bill amends the 1964 law that created the State Court of Cobb County, as later changed in 2017, to adjust staffing and pay for the solicitor-general's office. The solicitor-general prosecutes misdemeanor cases in state court, and relies on assistant solicitors to help carry out that work.
The bill increases the number of assistant solicitors the solicitor-general can appoint, tying the count to the number of judges in Division I and Division II of the state court and the number of full-time magistrates in the Magistrate Court of Cobb County, plus four extra positions. It also sets a new minimum salary of at least $83,400 a year for all assistant solicitors, beginning January 1, 2027, with the exact amount set by the solicitor-general and approved by the Cobb County governing authority. The law would take effect July 1, 2026.

### What it does

- Expands the number of assistant solicitors the solicitor-general of the State Court of Cobb County may appoint, linking the total to the number of judges and full-time magistrates plus four extra slots.
- Sets a new minimum annual salary of at least $83,400 for all assistant solicitors, effective January 1, 2027.
- Keeps the requirement that assistant solicitors be licensed to practice law in Georgia and be members in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.
- Continues to let the solicitor-general designate certain assistant solicitors as supervisors, who may not engage in private legal practice while serving.
- Requires the exact compensation amount to be set by the solicitor-general and approved by the Cobb County governing authority, paid monthly from county funds.
- Sets the overall effective date of the Act as July 1, 2026.

### Who it affects

The solicitor-general and assistant solicitors of the State Court of Cobb County, the Cobb County governing authority that approves salary amounts and pays from county funds, and indirectly the judges of the state court's two divisions and the Magistrate Court of Cobb County, whose staffing levels help set the assistant solicitor count.

### Why it matters

The change means Cobb County's misdemeanor prosecution office could grow its legal staff and would have to pay assistant solicitors a higher guaranteed minimum salary starting in 2027, affecting the county budget and potentially the office's capacity to handle its caseload.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 revises subsection (d) of Section 27 of the 1964 Act creating the State Court of Cobb County to change assistant solicitor staffing and pay.
- The solicitor-general may appoint two assistant solicitors per judge in Division I and Division II, plus one for each full-time magistrate, plus four additional positions.
- All assistant solicitors must be licensed Georgia attorneys in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia.
- Minimum compensation for assistant solicitors is set at $83,400 annually starting January 1, 2027, with the exact figure determined by the solicitor-general and approved by the Cobb County governing authority.
- Pay is disbursed in equal monthly installments from Cobb County's general funds.
- The solicitor-general may designate some assistant solicitors as supervisors, who are barred from private law practice while serving in that role.
- Section 2 sets the Act's effective date as July 1, 2026.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Terry Cummings, Lisa Campbell, Devan Seabaugh, Mekyah McQueen, Jordan Ridley, John Carson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71660

> The history, votes, and amendments (1,491 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb858.md?full=1