SB 606: "District Attorney Compensation Reform Act"; enact

Georgia district attorneys are currently paid a state salary plus county supplements that vary by local law or county decision. This bill, the "District Attorney Compensation Reform Act," creates a new system starting July 1, 2026. District attorneys in office on that date can either keep their current pay setup for the rest of their term or permanently switch to a new state salary (set by the General Assembly, capped at 98 percent of a related judicial salary) plus optional county "locality pay" limited to 10, 15, or 20 percent of that state salary depending on how many superior court judges serve the circuit. New district attorneys taking office after that date must use the new system. Most county salary supplements are eliminated going forward, though counties can keep providing fringe benefits and existing retirement benefits are protected. The bill also sharply raises minimum salaries for assistant district attorneys over two fiscal years, and it temporarily freezes any local law that ties other officials' pay to a district attorney's salary, so a DA pay increase does not automatically raise those other salaries, except for judges, whose frozen raises resume in mid-2027.

• Lets district attorneys serving on July 1, 2026 choose, on a one-time and irrevocable basis, to switch to a new state salary plus capped county locality pay instead of their current pay and supplements.
• Guarantees that district attorneys who do not switch keep being paid exactly as they were as of June 30, 2026, including existing county supplements.
• Eliminates most county salary supplements for district attorneys going forward, replacing them with locality pay capped at 10 to 20 percent of the state salary based on circuit size.
• Raises the minimum salary for assistant district attorneys substantially, for example the lowest tier rises from $38,124 to $78,000 in fiscal year 2027 and $85,000 in fiscal year 2028.
• Freezes, for a period, any local law that ties another official's pay to a district attorney's salary, so a DA raise does not automatically raise that other pay, with judges' frozen raises resuming July 1, 2027.
• Protects existing retirement benefits tied to old district attorney pay and lets counties keep offering retirement benefits based on the new locality pay.

Georgia's district attorneys and assistant district attorneys, county governments that fund DA offices and pay salary supplements, judges and other local officials whose pay is legally tied to a district attorney's salary, and the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, which processes DAs' compensation elections.

The bill changes how much money flows from counties versus the state to prosecutors' offices and sets new, much higher minimum pay for assistant district attorneys, which could affect hiring and retention. It also prevents sudden local budget increases for other officials whose pay automatically rises with district attorney salaries.

• Section 2 lets a sitting district attorney choose between the old compensation system and a new state salary plus locality pay, with the choice being final once made and a deadline of January 1, 2028 to decide.
• Section 4 caps county locality pay for district attorneys at 10 percent (four or fewer superior court judges), 15 percent (five to nine judges), or 20 percent (ten or more judges) of the state salary set by the General Assembly.
• Section 4 bars counties from providing salary supplements to district attorneys after July 1, 2026, except for contracted probate or magistrate court work, while allowing continued fringe benefits and protecting existing retirement rights.
• Section 5 raises minimum salaries for assistant district attorney classes I through IV for fiscal year 2027 (for example $78,000 to $160,000) and increases them again for fiscal year 2028 (for example $85,000 to $185,000).
• Section 6 directs the General Assembly to set district attorney salaries in the annual budget act, capped at 98 percent of a comparable judicial salary under O.C.G.A. § 45-7-4.
• Section 7 suspends local laws that calculate other officials' pay as a percentage of a district attorney's salary, freezing those officials' pay until the suspension is lifted, except judges' suspension ends automatically July 1, 2027.
• Section 8 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-06Senate Tabled (Senate)
2. 2026-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
3. 2026-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
4. 2026-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
5. 2026-02-25Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)Primary sponsor
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)

• district attorney pay
• prosecutor salaries
• county government budgets
• judicial salaries
• assistant district attorney compensation