SB 358: DeKalb County; verification of ethics complaints; revise administrative procedures

DeKalb County has its own local ethics code and Board of Ethics, set up under a 1956 state law that has been amended several times. This bill changes two parts of that local law dealing with how ethics complaints get filed and processed. First, it revises the list of what a written, sworn complaint to the ethics administrator must include, and adds a new requirement that the complainant's signature be validated by the ethics officer. Second, it revises how DeKalb residents file complaints on their own, requiring the complaint to specifically identify which parts of the county's ethics code were allegedly violated, lay out facts that would be admissible in court, show the complainant or affiant is competent to testify, and attach all referenced documents and supporting affidavits. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but sets no separate effective date beyond normal enactment.

• Adds a requirement that a complainant's signature on a sworn ethics complaint be validated by the ethics officer before it can be considered.
• Keeps the existing list of required complaint contents (names, addresses, statement of facts, statutory references, supporting evidence) but revises the section describing them.
• Requires resident-filed complaints to specifically cite the ethics code provisions allegedly violated and to set forth facts admissible in a court proceeding.
• Requires the complainant or any affiant to affirmatively show they are competent to testify to the facts in the complaint.
• Requires all documents referenced in a complaint, plus supporting affidavits, to be attached when the complaint is filed.
• Repeals any prior DeKalb County laws that conflict with these revised procedures.

DeKalb County residents who want to file ethics complaints against county officials or candidates, the county's ethics administrator and ethics officer who process those complaints, and the DeKalb County Board of Ethics that reviews them.

By requiring signature validation, court-admissible facts, proof of competence to testify, and attached documentation, the bill raises the procedural bar for filing a DeKalb County ethics complaint, which could affect how easily residents can bring and pursue such complaints.

• Section 1 revises subparagraph (f)(1)(B) of Section 22A, adding a requirement that the ethics officer validate the complainant's signature.
• Section 1 also restates the required contents of written ethics complaints, including identifying the accused party, the alleged office sought if a candidate, and supporting evidence.
• Section 2 revises paragraph (3) of subsection (j) of Section 22A, tightening the standard for resident-filed complaints to require court-admissible facts and proof of competence to testify.
• Section 2 requires attachment of all referenced documents and supporting affidavits to the complaint at filing.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting prior laws.

1. 2025-04-02House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-03-31House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
4. 2025-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
6. 2025-03-25Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-10)Primary sponsor
• Sally Harrell (D, SD-40)
• Randal Mangham (D, SD-55)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-43)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-41)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   49 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 2 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #339

• DeKalb County government
• ethics complaints
• local legislation
• government ethics