SB 605: Prosecuting Attorneys; additional grounds for discipline of a district attorney or solicitor-general or for his or her removal or involuntary retirement from office; provide

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Discussed in meetings (12)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

1. Senate Rules Committee, March 5, 2026

   From 0:57:22 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 605 would establish clearly defined conduct rules for prosecuting attorneys so they know what is permitted and prohibited. No substantive questions followed. The committee unanimously included the bill in the floor-calendar package.

2. Senate floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, part 1)

   From 6:17:50 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Tabled)

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 605 would clarify conduct for which the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission could discipline district attorneys and solicitors-general. The sponsor said the commission had received close to 200 complaints without conducting a hearing and described existing grounds as too limited or unclear. Proposed grounds included failures to make reasonable efforts to follow victims' rights, open-records and evidence-disclosure laws, improper decision-making and violations of lawyers' professional rules. The sponsor said discussions with prosecutors led to replacing absolute compliance requirements with a reasonable-efforts standard. One member questioned whether the bill targeted the Fulton County district attorney following a legislative investigation. The sponsor denied that and said it applied statewide. Another member questioned why the victims' rights provision still referred to strict compliance and whether a district attorney remained concerned. The sponsor answered that the reasonable-efforts language addressed practical mistakes and believed the concerns had been resolved. The Senate adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill, 34 to 18.

3. House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, March 18, 2026

   From 0:34:20 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 605 would explicitly authorize discipline of elected prosecutors for failures involving victims’ rights, public records, criminal discovery, impartiality and professional conduct. The sponsor said these were existing duties, and reasonable-effort language would account for circumstances such as overwhelming workloads or difficulty locating victims. One member asked about blanket refusals to enforce laws, and another member identified an existing provision addressing that concern. Another member asked about withholding sensitive crime-scene photographs. The sponsor said ongoing investigations were protected and discussed court orders and sealing records. The executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission took no position but raised implementation concerns: the commission oversees elected prosecutors, not assistants who may handle the work, and commission findings could conflict with court rulings on the same issues. The sponsor responded that office policies and internal discipline could demonstrate reasonable efforts, and argued that court proceedings and commission discipline could operate alongside each other. The sponsor suggested broader oversight of assistants might be considered later, but it was not part of this bill. The committee approved the bill by voice vote without amendments; no vote count was stated.

4. House Rules Committee, March 23, 2026

   From 0:25:25 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 605 would add grounds for prosecutor discipline, including failures to comply with victims' rights requirements, open-records laws and ethical standards adopted by the oversight commission and the State Bar of Georgia. The sponsor said victims would need notice of court proceedings and an opportunity to attend and be heard. The sponsor reported substantial input from prosecutors. No questions or calendar decision followed.

5. House Rules Committee, March 27, 2026

   From 1:11:40 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: Following a motion and second, the chair announced that SB 605 was on the legislative day 38 floor calendar. No discussion of its contents or vote count was provided.

6. House floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38, part 2)

   From 0:52:34 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 3373

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said SB 605 would add grounds for disciplining or removing district attorneys and solicitors-general under the prosecutor oversight system. The presenter listed failures to make reasonable efforts to follow victims' rights, public-records, evidence-disclosure and professional-conduct requirements, along with decisions involving prohibited bias or undisclosed conflicts of interest. A member asked whether a specific case prompted the bill. The presenter cited experiences in private practice and representing victims but did not identify a case. The House passed the bill 156 to 7.

• Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 26, 2026 (legislative day 25), 0:24:45
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26), 0:32:12
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27), 0:52:12
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 9, 2026 (legislative day 29), 1:04:38
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 10, 2026 (legislative day 30), 0:48:06
• Read aloud: House floor session, March 19, 2026 (legislative day 34), 0:36:03

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