SB 613: Superior Court of Clayton County; change the compensation of the sheriff

This bill amends a 1949 local law that sets the salary of the sheriff and clerk of the Superior Court of Clayton County. It rewrites the section covering the sheriff's pay, setting it at $185,000 per year, paid in equal monthly installments from Clayton County funds. Unlike most local salary bills, this one has a condition attached to its start date. The new pay rate does not begin right away. Instead, it takes effect on the first day of the month after the sheriff fully complies with the county-wide financial audits Clayton County is required to complete for 2024, 2025, and 2026 under Georgia's local government audit law (O.C.G.A. § 36-81-7). The bill also repeals any conflicting laws, which is a standard clean-up provision in local legislation like this.

• Rewrites subsection (b) of the 1949 Clayton County salary Act to set the sheriff's annual salary at $185,000, paid monthly from county funds.
• Ties the effective date of the raise to the sheriff fully complying with county-wide audits required for 2024, 2025, and 2026 under O.C.G.A. § 36-81-7.
• Delays the pay increase until the first day of the month after that audit compliance happens, rather than a fixed calendar date.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with this new salary provision.

This bill directly affects the Sheriff of Clayton County, whose salary it sets, and Clayton County government, which pays that salary from county funds. It also indirectly involves county auditors and officials responsible for completing the county-wide audits required by state law.

The sheriff's pay increase to $185,000 a year would not happen automatically. It depends on the sheriff's office fully complying with three years of required county audits, linking a raise in local government compensation to accountability over Clayton County's financial reporting.

• Section 1 amends the 1949 Clayton County salary Act, setting the sheriff's pay at $185,000.00 per year in equal monthly installments from county funds.
• Section 2 sets an unusual conditional effective date: the law starts on the first day of the month after the sheriff fully complies with the county-wide audits required for 2024, 2025, and 2026 under O.C.G.A. § 36-81-7(c.1).
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard provision clearing away inconsistent prior statutes.

1. 2026-05-12Act 702
2. 2026-05-12Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
3. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-02Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
5. 2026-03-31House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
6. 2026-03-31House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-03-31House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
8. 2026-03-10House Second Readers (House)

• Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)Primary sponsor
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• Yasmin Neal (D, HD-079)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #639

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 31, 2026

   161 yea, 3 nay (5 not voting, 7 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #803

3. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2026

   52 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #969

• Clayton County government
• sheriff salary
• local government audits
• county officials pay