Georgia CommonsSenate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 620: State Court of Barrow County; a full-time solicitor-general; provide
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date
A Georgia Senate bill would make the solicitor-general of the State Court of Barrow County a full-time position with a capped salary and set rules for hiring assistant solicitors-general and support staff.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
The State Court of Barrow County was created in 2020, with a solicitor-general who prosecutes certain cases in that court. This bill rewrites Section 12 of that 2020 law to specify that the solicitor-general must serve full-time and to set how much that official is paid. Under the bill, the solicitor-general's salary would equal 95 percent of the district attorney for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit's salary (not counting local supplements), capped at $142,500 a year, plus required benefits, paid out of Barrow County funds. The solicitor-general could hire assistant solicitors-general, investigators, paraprofessionals, clerical staff, and victim and witness assistance personnel, if the Barrow County Board of Commissioners authorizes it and approves their pay. Investigators hired this way would have to meet Georgia's peace officer certification standards. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Requires the Barrow County State Court solicitor-general to serve full-time rather than part-time.
- Sets the solicitor-general's salary at 95 percent of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit district attorney's salary, capped at $142,500 a year, plus benefits.
- Authorizes the solicitor-general to hire assistant solicitors-general, investigators, paraprofessionals, clerical staff, and victim assistance personnel with county board approval.
- Requires any investigator hired by the solicitor-general's office to meet Georgia's peace officer certification standards under the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Act.
- Keeps the existing four-year elected term structure for the solicitor-general as set in the 2020 law.
Who it affects
The Barrow County solicitor-general and any assistant solicitors-general, investigators, clerical and victim assistance staff hired by that office; the Barrow County Board of Commissioners, which approves hiring and pay; and Barrow County taxpayers, who fund the salaries.
Why it matters
Making the position full-time and setting a defined, capped salary tied to a comparable district attorney's pay affects how Barrow County recruits and retains its top local prosecutor, and clarifies how the office can staff up to handle its caseload using county funds.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises Section 12 of the 2020 Act creating the State Court of Barrow County to require a full-time solicitor-general.
- Subsection (c) ties the solicitor-general's salary to 95 percent of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit district attorney's pay, capped at $142,500 annually, funded by Barrow County.
- Subsection (d) lets the solicitor-general hire additional staff, including investigators, attorneys, and clerical personnel, subject to county board of commissioners authorization and pay approval.
- Investigators hired under subsection (d) must be certified as peace officers under Georgia's Peace Officer Standards and Training Act (O.C.G.A. Chapter 8 of Title 35).
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The solicitor-general shall be paid an annual salary equal to 95 percent of the annual salary of the district attorney for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit, not including any local supplements, up to a maximum salary of $142,500.00 and shall receive all legally required benefits.”
“shall be a full-time solicitor-general of such court.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
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.
House floor session, April 2, 2026 (legislative day 40, PM, part 2)
From 1:45:51 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 4604
Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk listed SB 620 as a Barrow County measure on the supplemental local calendar. No explanation or debate on its provisions was shown. The House voted on the calendar as a group, 94 to 75, and the chair declared this bill passed because it required 91 votes.
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 16, 2026 (legislative day 32), 0:27:00
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 19, 2026 (legislative day 34), 0:42:11
- Read aloud: House floor session, March 20, 2026 (legislative day 35), 0:34:48
- Read aloud: House floor session, March 23, 2026 (legislative day 36, AM), 0:36:43
Status timeline
- Effective Date
- Act 620
- Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Clint Dixon (R, SD-45)
- Bill Cowsert (R, SD-46)
- Frank Ginn (R, SD-47)
Votes
- Senate voteMarch 19, 2026
49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 excused)
- House voteApril 2, 2026
94 yea, 75 nay (2 not voting, 5 excused)
Topics
- Barrow County
- state courts
- local government salaries
- county prosecutors
- court staffing