---
title: SB 606. "District Attorney Compensation Reform Act"; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb606
cite_as: SB 606, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb606
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb606.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb606/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73717
date: 2026-03-06
status: introduced
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/sb605.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb607.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 335
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb606.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 606
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-25
last_action: Senate Tabled
sponsors:
- Bill Cowsert
- Greg Dolezal
- Steve Gooch
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB606/2025
upstream_id: 2124779
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- district attorney pay
- prosecutor salaries
- county government budgets
- judicial salaries
- assistant district attorney compensation
---
# SB 606. "District Attorney Compensation Reform Act"; enact
## Text
The Senate Special Committee on Investigations offered the following
substitute to SB 606:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions regarding prosecuting attorneys, so as to modify provisions
regarding the compensation received by district attorneys; to provide procedures for district
attorneys to opt to receive compensation pursuant to such revised provisions; to provide for
grandfathering of certain district attorneys so as to not reduce the compensation paid to such
district attorneys; to authorize locality pay by counties to district attorneys in lieu of county
salary supplements; to abolish most county salary supplements provided to district attorneys;
to authorize continuation of fringe benefits provided by counties to district attorneys; to
preserve existing rights and obligations related to retirement benefits provided by counties
to district attorneys; to provide for retirement benefits relative to optional locality pay; to
revise the minimum compensation of assistant district attorneys; to amend Code Section
45-7-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to annual salaries of certain state
officials and cost-of-living adjustments, so as to revise provisions relating to calculating and
setting the salaries of district attorneys; to revise superseded provisions related to the salary
of the judge of the state-wide tax court; to amend Chapter 3 of Title 1 of the Official Code
of Georgia Annotated, relating to laws and statutes, so as to suspend the operation of local
laws or local ordinances or resolutions that use a district attorney's salary for the calculation
of the salary or compensation of other officers, officials, or employees; to provide for an
automatic lifting of such suspension relative to judges; to preserve the authority of the
General Assembly to amend or repeal such suspended local laws; to preserve the authority
of local governments to use other mechanisms to change salary calculation during such
suspension; to provide for legislative findings and intent; to provide for legislative
construction; to provide a short title; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "District Attorney Compensation Reform
Act."
SECTION 2.
Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions regarding prosecuting attorneys, is amended by revising Code Section
15-18-10, relating to compensation of district attorneys and private practice of law
prohibited, as follows:
"15-18-10.
(a) Except as provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section, each Each district
attorney shall receive an annual salary from state funds as prescribed by law. Such salary
shall be paid as provided in Code Sections 15-18-10.1, 15-18-10.2, and 15-18-19,
and 45-7-4.
(b)(1) Each district attorney in office on July 1, 2026, shall have the option to receive the
annual salary provided by Code Section 45-7-4 and any locality pay provided by this
Code section and Code Section 15-18-19 in lieu of his or her compensation which is
otherwise provided by laws in effect on June 30, 2026. The option provided by this
paragraph shall be exercised by such district attorney's filing a written notification thereof
with the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia and the governing authority of each
county comprising such district attorney's judicial circuit. A district attorney in office on
July 1, 2026, shall not be required or obligated to exercise the option provided by this
paragraph, but if and when any such district attorney voluntarily and expressly exercises
such option, such district attorney's exercise of such option shall be final and irrevocable.
The failure to exercise the option shall be an election to continue to receive compensation
as previously calculated by law in effect on June 30, 2026, and as outlined in
paragraph (2) of this subsection, and until such option is exercised; provided, however,
that such option must be exercised no later than January 1, 2028. The option exercised
pursuant to this paragraph shall go into effect the next pay period beginning five business
days following the exercise of such option.
(2) To ensure that no district attorney in office on July 1, 2026, has his or her salary,
allowance, or county supplements decreased during his or her term of office, any district
attorney in office on July 1, 2026, who does not exercise the irrevocable option provided
by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall continue to be compensated in precisely the
same manner as he or she was compensated as of June 30, 2026, including, but not
limited to, county supplements, in accordance with Article VI, Section VIII,
Paragraph I (c) of the Constitution.
(3) For the purpose of this Code section and Code Section 15-18-10.2, an interim district
attorney serving on July 1, 2026, shall be treated in the same manner as an elected district
attorney related to any options such district attorneys have as to their compensation.
The county or counties comprising the judicial circuit may supplement the salary of the
district attorney in such amount as is or may be authorized by local Act or in such amount
as may be determined by the governing authority of such county or counties, whichever is
greater.
(c) The clerk of court shall collect any such fees, fines, forfeitures, costs, and emoluments
and remit the same to the county treasury by the fifteenth day of each month.
(d) No district attorney receiving an annual salary under this Code section shall engage in
the private practice of law."
SECTION 3.
Said article is further amended in Code Section 15-18-10.1, relating to annual accountability
supplement and exception, by repealing subsection (d).
SECTION 4.
Said article is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"15-18-10.2.
(a) Except as provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section, on or after July 1, 2026,
the county or counties comprising a judicial circuit may provide the district attorney of
such circuit, who either was not in office as a district attorney as of July 1, 2026, or made
an irrevocable election authorized by paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Code
Section 15-18-10, with locality pay as authorized by this Code section, and such district
attorneys shall not be eligible for county salary supplements provided by local Act. All
such locality pay shall be in lieu of and not in addition to any county supplements
previously provided by the county or counties.
(b) In no event shall the annual locality pay provided to a district attorney or circuit public
defender by the county or counties comprising a judicial circuit in aggregate exceed the
following percent of the state annual salary paid to a district attorney pursuant to Code
Section 45-7-4:
(1) Ten percent if the judicial circuit has four or fewer superior court judges;
(2) Fifteen percent if the judicial circuit has between five and nine superior court judges;
or
(3) Twenty percent if the judicial circuit has ten or more superior court judges.
(c) Except as provided for in subsection (b) of Code Section 15-18-10 and subsection (d)
of this Code section and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, on and
after July 1, 2026, no county or counties comprising a judicial circuit shall provide county
salary supplements to a district attorney.
(d)(1) Nothing in subsection (c) of this Code section shall operate to prevent a county or
counties comprising a judicial circuit from providing a local salary supplement when the
district attorney of that judicial circuit enters into a contract with said county or counties
to act as the solicitor of a county's probate or magistrate court, or for supplements of
compensation for services under Code Sections 15-18-11 and 19-11-23.
(2) For all district attorneys who elect to exercise the option provided by paragraph (1)
of subsection (b) of Code Section 15-18-10, to the extent the aggregate salary provided
for by subsection (a) of Code Section 15-18-10 and locality pay provided for by
subsection (a) of this Code section to a particular district attorney do not equal or exceed
such district attorney's aggregate salary and local supplement in effect at the time of such
district attorney's exercise of such option, then the county or counties of the circuit shall
pay an additional supplement in the amount equal to the difference between the aggregate
salary and supplement in effect at the time of such district attorney's exercise of such
option and the aggregate salary provided for by subsection (a) of Code Section 15-18-10
and locality pay provided for by subsection (a) of this Code section. When an additional
supplement is required by this paragraph in a circuit consisting of more than one county,
then each county shall pay such additional supplement in proportion to each county's
contribution to the local supplement in effect at the time of such district attorney's
exercise of the option to participate. In no event shall the additional supplement required
by this paragraph result in a district attorney's aggregate salary that exceeds the aggregate
salary existing at the time of a district attorney's exercise of such option.
(e) Nothing in subsection (c) of this Code section shall operate to prevent a county or
counties comprising a judicial circuit from continuing to provide fringe benefits to the
district attorney of such circuit in the same manner that such benefits were provided on
June 30, 2026.
(f) Nothing in this Code section or subsection (b) of Code Section 15-18-10 shall operate
to alter, amend, contract, expand, extend, limit, modify, or terminate retirement benefits
or rights thereto in existence prior to July 1, 2026. All district attorneys who exercise the
option provided by paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Code Section 15-18-10 shall have no
right to any benefit existing at the time such option is exercised reduced. To the extent
otherwise permitted by law, each county within a judicial circuit is authorized, but not
required, to provide retirement benefits based upon the locality pay it provides pursuant to
subsection (a) of this Code section."
SECTION 5.
Said article is further amended in Code Section 15-18-14, relating to appointment of assistant
district attorneys, qualifications, and compensation, by revising subsection (c) and adding a
new subsection to read as follows:
"(c) Each attorney appointed pursuant to this Code section shall be compensated based on
a salary schedule established in accordance with subsection (e) of Code Section 15-18-19.
The salary range for each class established in accordance with subsection (b) of this Code
section shall be as follows for fiscal year 2027:
(1) Assistant district attorney I. Not less than $38,124.00 $78,000.00 nor more than 65
percent of the compensation of the district attorney;
(2) Assistant district attorney II. Not less than $40,884.00 $110,000.00 nor more than
70 percent of the compensation of the district attorney;
(3) Assistant district attorney III. Not less than $45,108.00 $130,000.00 nor more than
80 percent of the compensation of the district attorney; and
(4) Assistant district attorney IV. Not less than $52,176.00 $160,000.00.
(c.1) Each attorney appointed pursuant to this Code section shall be compensated based
on a salary schedule established in accordance with subsection (e) of Code Section
15-18-19. The salary range for each class established in accordance with subsection (b)
of this Code section shall be as follows for fiscal year 2028:
(1) Assistant district attorney I. Not less than $85,000.00 nor more than 65 percent of
the compensation of the district attorney;
(2) Assistant district attorney II. Not less than $125,000.00 nor more than 70 percent of
the compensation of the district attorney;
(3) Assistant district attorney III. Not less than $150,000.00 nor more than 80 percent
of the compensation of the district attorney; and
(4) Assistant district attorney IV. Not less than $185,000.00."
SECTION 6.
Code Section 45-7-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to annual salaries
of certain state officials, cost-of-living adjustments, and base-salary of certain judges, as
effective on July 1, 2026, is amended by repealing and reserving paragraphs (19.2) and (21)
of subsection (a) and by adding a new paragraph to subsection (d) to read as follows:
"(3) Except as provided for in subsection (b) of Code Section 15-18-10, the annual salary
of each district attorney shall be set by the General Assembly in the General
Appropriations Act, provided that such salary shall not exceed 98 percent of the salary
provided for in paragraph (2) of this subsection."
SECTION 7.
Chapter 3 of Title 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to laws and statutes,
is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"1-3-13.
(a)(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, except for Code Section
17-12-25, as of July 1, 2026, all local laws and local ordinances or resolutions in effect
as of such date that provide for a salary, supplement, or other compensation to be paid to
a state, county, or local officer, official, or employee based on a percentage of, total
compensation for, or similar mathematical relationship to any district attorney's salary,
supplement, or other compensation shall be suspended as a matter of law with respect to
any increase in the salary, supplement, or other compensation paid to a district attorney
during the term of such suspension; provided, however, that such suspension shall not be
applicable to any local law or local ordinance or resolution adopted after July 1, 2026.
(2) During the period of the suspension provided for in paragraph (1) of this subsection:
(A) No change in the salary of a district attorney shall result in a change in the
calculation of any compensation to be paid to a state, county, or local officer, official,
or employee by any county, municipality, consolidated government, or other political
subdivision; and
(B) The compensation paid to any state, county, or local officer, official, or employee
whose compensation is expressly based on a percentage of, total compensation for, or
similar mathematical relationship to a district attorney's salary, supplement, or other
compensation shall remain at the same amount as provided at the beginning of such
period of suspension, unless and until such suspension terminates with respect to such
individual pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of this Code section or the
compensation paid to any such state, county, or local officer, official, or employee is
modified pursuant to subsection (c) of this Code section.
(3) The provisions of this subsection shall not repeal or amend any local law or local
ordinance or resolution, but the provisions of local laws or local ordinances or resolutions
related to calculating compensation based on a district attorney's salary, supplement, or
other compensation shall be merely suspended and shall remain suspended with respect
to any change in such compensation until such suspension is lifted or such compensation
is modified pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of this Code section with respect to a given
public officer, official, or employee.
(b)(1) As of July 1, 2027, the suspension provided for in subsection (a) of this Code
section shall be terminated with respect to all judges. Any salary or compensation change
for a judge that otherwise would have gone into effect between July 1, 2026, and
June 30, 2027, by operation of a local law or local ordinance or resolution if such
suspension had not been in effect shall become effective for calculations of such judge's
prospective salary or other compensation that may be earned on or after July 1, 2027,
unless the local law or local ordinance or resolution that provides for a salary,
supplement, or other compensation to be paid to such judge is repealed prior to
July 1, 2027, or is amended, prior to July 1, 2027, to expressly modify the terms of such
judge's compensation.
(2) The suspension provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section shall remain in
place for all officers, officials, and employees described in paragraph (1) of subsection (a)
of this Code section other than judges, unless and until the compensation payable to any
such other officer, official, or employee is modified pursuant to subsection (c) of this
Code section.
(3) The termination of a suspension provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section
shall not entitle any person to retroactive compensation that he or she otherwise may have
earned except for such suspension, and no such retroactive payments shall be made.
(c)(1) Nothing in this Code section shall operate to prevent the General Assembly from
at any time repealing or amending, in whole or in part, any local law that is suspended
pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section, and any such repeal or amendment shall
become effective in the time and manner stated in the law implementing such repeal or
amendment, without regard to the suspension provided for in this Code section.
(2) Nothing in this Code section shall operate to prevent a county, municipality,
consolidated government, or other political subdivision from, at any time, enacting any
salary, supplement, or other compensation changes for any state, county, or local officer,
official, or employee if otherwise authorized by general or local law, and any such change
shall become effective in the time and manner stated in such lawful enactment, without
regard to the suspension provided for in this Code section.
(3) In no event shall any action described in paragraph (1) or (2) of this subsection:
(A) Authorize the payment of or entitle any district attorney to any salary supplement
or any locality pay in excess of the limits set forth in Code Section 15-8-10.2; or
(B) Authorize the payment of or entitle any person to retroactive compensation that he
or she otherwise may have earned except for any period of suspension.
(d) The General Assembly finds that increases to district attorney's compensation that
become effective on or after July 1, 2026, may automatically trigger increases to other
public officers, officials, and employees for whom existing legislation automatically ties
their compensation to that of district attorneys, and that these automatic increases in
compensation would generally result in sudden financial hardship for local governments.
Accordingly, it is the intent of this Code section that:
(1) The salary of any state, county, or local officer, official, or employee whose salary,
supplement, or other compensation is based on a percentage of, total compensation for,
or similar mathematical relationship to a district attorney's salary or supplement shall,
during the period of any such suspension imposed by this Code section, remain the same
as such salary, supplement, or other compensation was at the beginning of such period;
(2) Such state, county, or local officer, official, or employee shall continue to receive
such salary, supplement, or other compensation during the period of such suspension at
the same rate or amount as at the beginning of such period; and
(3) The amount of such salary, supplement, or other compensation shall remain
unchanged until the occurrence of an event described in subsections (a) through (c) of this
Code section, which includes:
(A) Such suspension being terminated pursuant to this Code section;
(B) With respect to a salary, supplement, or other compensation set by local law, the
General Assembly takes some affirmative action to set the salary, supplement, or other
compensation by repealing or amending, in whole or in part, any local law that is
suspended pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section and such repeal or
amendment becomes effective; or
(C) With respect to a salary, supplement, or other compensation set by local ordinance
or resolution, the county, municipality, consolidated, or other local government takes
some affirmative action to set the salary, supplement, or other compensation and such
action becomes effective.
(e) This Code section shall not affect the compensation paid to any circuit public defender
pursuant to Code Section 17-12-25."
SECTION 8.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026.
SECTION 9.
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.
A Georgia Senate bill would overhaul how district attorneys are paid, letting them choose a new state salary plus capped local "locality pay" instead of current county salary supplements, while raising minimum pay for assistant district attorneys and freezing other officials' salaries that are tied to DA pay.
### Plain-language summary
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.
### What it does
- 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.
### Who it affects
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.
### Why it matters
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.
### Key provisions
- 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. ยง 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.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-25)
- Last action: Senate Tabled (2026-03-06)
- Sponsors: Bill Cowsert, Greg Dolezal, Steve Gooch
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73717
> The history, votes, and amendments (335 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb606.md?full=1