Georgia CommonsHB 940: Tift County; State Court; provide for compensation of the judge
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-11
House Bill 940 sets new minimum salaries for the judge and solicitor-general of the State Court of Tift County, to be set by the county commission within specified limits and paid from county funds.
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 1971 law that created the State Court of Tift County, which has been changed several times since. It rewrites the pay provisions for two officials: the state court judge and the solicitor-general (the county's local prosecutor for that court). Under the bill, the Tift County Board of Commissioners must set the judge's annual salary at no less than $100,000 and no more than 75 percent of what a superior court judge in the Tifton Judicial Circuit earns from the state. The judge remains barred from practicing law while in office. The solicitor-general's position is made a full-time job, with a salary set by the county commission at not less than $90,000 per year. Both salaries are paid from Tift County's general fund in monthly installments. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Sets the Tift County State Court judge's minimum annual salary at $100,000, capped at 75 percent of a Tifton Judicial Circuit superior court judge's state salary.
- Requires the judge's salary to be paid from Tift County's general fund in 12 monthly installments.
- Keeps the existing ban on the judge practicing law while serving on the bench.
- Makes the solicitor-general's position full time and sets a minimum annual salary of $90,000, paid from the county general fund.
- Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these new pay provisions.
Who it affects
The judge and solicitor-general of the State Court of Tift County, the Tift County Board of Commissioners, which must set the salaries within the new limits, and Tift County taxpayers, whose general fund covers the pay.
Why it matters
The bill changes how much Tift County's state court judge and solicitor-general are paid and who decides it, guaranteeing minimum salaries funded by the county while capping the judge's pay relative to a superior court judge's salary.
Key provisions
- Section 1 rewrites the judge's compensation clause, setting a floor of $100,000 and a ceiling of 75 percent of the Tifton Judicial Circuit superior court judge's state salary, set annually by the county commission.
- Section 1 continues the requirement that the judge not practice law during his or her term and be paid monthly from the county general fund.
- Section 2 revises Section 8 to make the solicitor-general's office full time with a minimum salary of $90,000, set by the county commission and paid from the general fund.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The judge shall be compensated by an annual salary fixed by the Board of Commissioners of Tift County in an amount not less than $100,000.00 nor more than 75 percent of the state annual salary paid to a judge of the superior court of the Tifton Judicial Circuit”
“The office of the solicitor-general shall be full time. The solicitor-general shall be compensated by an annual salary to be fixed by the Board of Commissioners of Tift County and to be not less than $90,000.00”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-11
- Act 529
- 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
- Jaclyn Ford (R, HD-170)
- Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 6, 2026
163 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 absent)
- Senate voteFebruary 17, 2026
48 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)
Topics
- Tift County
- state court judge pay
- local government
- solicitor-general
- county salaries