--- title: HB 940. Tift County; State Court; provide for compensation of the judge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb940 cite_as: HB 940, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb940 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb940.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb940/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72138 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/hb939.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb941.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 884 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb940.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 940 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-05-11 last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 sponsors: - Jaclyn Ford - Angie O'Steen text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB940/2025 upstream_id: 2072025 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Tift County - state court judge pay - local government - solicitor-general - county salaries --- # HB 940. Tift County; State Court; provide for compensation of the judge ## Text House Bill 940 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Ford of the 170th and O’Steen of the 169th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act creating and establishing the State Court of Tift County, approved March 30, 1971 (Ga. L. 1971, p. 2468), as amended, particularly by an Act approved May 5, 2006 (Ga. L. 2006, p. 4575), and an Act approved May 3, 2016 (Ga. L. 2016, p. 3999), so as to provide for the compensation of the judge of such court; to provide for the compensation of the solicitor-general of such court; 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 and establishing the State Court of Tift County, approved March 30, 1971 (Ga. L. 1971, p. 2468), as amended, particularly by an Act approved May 5, 2006 (Ga. L. 2006, p. 4575), and an Act approved May 3, 2016 (Ga. L. 2016, p. 3999), is amended by striking the second unnumbered paragraph of Section 4 and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "The judge of such court shall be prohibited during the term of his or her office from engaging in the practice of law. 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, and which salary shall be paid from the general fund of said county in 12 monthly installments." SECTION 2. Said Act is further amended by revising Section 8 as follows: "Section 8. 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, and which salary shall be paid from the general fund of said county." 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 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. ### Plain-language summary 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 it 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. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-11) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11) - Sponsors: Jaclyn Ford, Angie O'Steen - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72138 > The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb940.md?full=1