---
title: SR 4. Senate Officials, Employees, and Committees; relative
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sr4
cite_as: SR 4, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr4
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr4.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr4/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69270
date: 2025-01-13
status: passed
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 469
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr4.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 4
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-01-13
last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted
sponsors:
  - John Kennedy
  - Steve Gooch
  - Harold Jones
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR4/2025
upstream_id: 1916772
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Georgia Senate operations
  - legislative staffing
  - legislator pay
  - state government administration
---

# SR 4. Senate Officials, Employees, and Committees; relative

## Text

Senate Resolution 4
By: Senators Kennedy of the 18th, Gooch of the 51st and Jones II of the 22nd
ADOPTED SENATE
A RESOLUTION
Relative to officials, employees, and committees in the Senate; and for other purposes.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the following provisions shall be in effect during
the 2025-2026 biennium of the General Assembly unless and until otherwise provided for
by resolution of the Senate:
PART 1
SECTION 1-1.
(a) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated or otherwise available for the Senate, the
Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs, pursuant to Senate rules, is authorized to
employ on behalf of the Senate a postmaster or postmistress, assistant doorkeepers, a director
of pages, pages, aides, administrative assistants, court reporters, consultants, and other
necessary personnel; and the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs is authorized to
provide for a Senate Office of Policy and Legislative Analysis, a Senate Budget and
Evaluation Office, and a Senate Press Office, including a Senate Photographer, and to
employ personnel for said offices. The numbers and compensation of personnel so employed
pursuant to this section shall be fixed by the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs
within the limitations of funds appropriated or otherwise available for the operation of the
Senate. Personnel employed pursuant to this section may be employed on a permanent or
temporary basis and on a part-time or full-time basis, as may be determined by the Senate
Committee on Administrative Affairs. The assignment and duties of personnel employed
pursuant to this section shall be as determined by the Senate Committee on Administrative
Affairs; and any such personnel may be assigned to Senate officers, committees, and
committee officers as deemed appropriate by the Senate Committee on Administrative
Affairs. The Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs is authorized to purchase
stationery and postage for use by Senators in the conduct of Senate business.
(b) By agreement with the appropriate officer or officers of the House of Representatives,
the President of the Senate may authorize the establishment and employment of staff for
newly created joint offices of the General Assembly.
SECTION 1-2.
The Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs is also authorized to secure the services of
chaplains and interns and provide expense reimbursement allowances for them within the
limitations of funds appropriated or otherwise available.
SECTION 1-3.
The Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, who is elected by the Senate, shall be compensated in
an amount to be fixed by the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs.
PART 2
SECTION 2-1.
Subject to the availability of funds appropriated or otherwise available for the Secretary of
the Senate's Office, the Secretary of the Senate is authorized to employ necessary personnel
for the Secretary's office. The numbers and compensation of personnel employed pursuant
to this section shall be fixed by the Secretary within the limitations of funds appropriated or
otherwise available for the operation of the Secretary of the Senate's Office. Personnel
employed pursuant to this section may be employed on a permanent or temporary basis and
on a part-time or full-time basis, as may be determined by the Secretary. The assignment and
duties of personnel employed pursuant to this section shall be as determined by the Secretary.
SECTION 2-2.
Pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 28-3-23 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, the annual salary of the Secretary of the Senate shall be in the same amount as
in effect immediately prior to the adoption of this resolution. In addition to that amount, the
Secretary shall also receive the same percentage salary increase provided in the General
Appropriations Act when granted to other employees of the legislative branch of state
government.
PART 3
SECTION 3-1.
Subject to the availability of funds appropriated or otherwise available for the operation of
the President of the Senate's Office, the President of the Senate is authorized to employ in
the President of the Senate's Office interns, aides, administrative assistants, consultants, and
other necessary personnel. The numbers and compensation of personnel employed pursuant
to this section shall be fixed by the President of the Senate within the limitations of funds
appropriated or otherwise available for the operation of the President of the Senate's Office.
Personnel employed pursuant to this section may be employed on a permanent or temporary
basis and on a part-time or full-time basis. The duties of personnel employed pursuant to this
section shall be as determined by the President of the Senate.
PART 4
SECTION 4-1.
During any day or period of time during which the General Assembly is not in session,
including without limitation any day or period of adjournment during a regular or special
session, each of the following officers shall be a committee of one for each day spent on
official business: the President Pro Tempore, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader.
For each such day spent on official business each of such officers shall receive the expense,
mileage, and travel allowances authorized by law for members of interim legislative
committees. Each such officer shall provide with his or her claim for such allowances for
each such day a brief statement of the nature of the official business carried out on such day.
These officers shall not be subject to Section 5-3 of this resolution (limit on number of days).
SECTION 4-2.
(a) During any day or period of time during which the General Assembly is not in session,
including without limitation any day or period of adjournment during a regular or special
session, each other member of the Senate is designated as a committee of one for the purpose
of carrying out legislative duties only within the State of Georgia. Subject to any limits
established pursuant to Section 5-3 of this resolution, for each such day of service, each
member shall receive the expense, mileage, and travel allowances authorized by law for
legislative members of interim legislative committees. Each such member shall provide with
his or her claim for such allowances for each such day a brief statement of the nature of the
legislative duties carried out on such day.
(b) In addition to the days provided for in subsection (a) of this section and without counting
toward the limit specified in such subsection, each member of the Senate is designated as a
committee of one for the purpose of carrying out legislative duties on any weekday which:
(1) is a one-day recess or adjournment during a regular session; and (2) occurs after Monday
and prior to Friday. For each such day of service, each member shall receive the expense and
travel allowances (not including mileage which shall be covered by the weekly round trip)
for legislative members of interim legislative committees. Each such member shall provide
with his or her claim for such allowances for each such day a brief statement of the nature
of the legislative duties carried out on such day.
SECTION 4-3.
Pursuant to the provisions of law, in addition to any other compensation they receive as
members of the General Assembly, the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader each shall
receive an amount of $2,400.00 per annum, as salary, to be paid in equal monthly or
semimonthly installments; and each Administration Floor Leader shall receive an amount of
$1,200.00 per annum, as salary, to be paid in equal monthly or semimonthly installments.
PART 5
SECTION 5-1.
During any period or day of adjournment during a regular or special session, the Senate
Committee on Assignments is empowered to give authorization for standing committees of
the Senate to remain at the Capitol during any such period of time for the purpose of
considering and studying proposed legislation and other matters. Members of such
committees as shall be designated by the Senate Committee on Assignments to remain at the
Capitol shall receive the expense, mileage, and travel allowances authorized by law for
members of interim committees.
SECTION 5-2.
The President of the Senate is authorized to appoint committees from the members of the
Senate to serve as interim legislative study committees and for the purpose of performing
such duties as the committee shall deem necessary. Such committees are authorized to serve
during the interim and the members thereof shall receive the expense, mileage, and travel
allowances authorized by law for legislative members of interim legislative committees. The
President of the Senate shall designate the chairperson of any such committee and shall
prescribe the time for which any such committee is authorized to function. The President of
the Senate is authorized to extend the time allowed for any committee, whether the
committee is created by resolution or by the President of the Senate. The chairperson of any
standing committee is empowered to authorize his or her committee or any standing
subcommittee of his or her committee to meet during the interim for the purpose of hearing
testimony or gathering information on legislative issues; provided, however, that standing
committees, or their subcommittees, may not take official action unless authorized by the
Rules of the Senate or pursuant to statute. The members shall receive the expense, mileage,
and travel allowances authorized by law for legislative members of interim legislative
committees.
SECTION 5-3.
The Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs shall be authorized to set limits on the
number of days per year that a member shall receive the allowances authorized in Sections
4-2 (committee of one) and 5-2 (committee meetings during interim) of this resolution. For
this purpose a year shall begin on the opening day of a regular session and end on the day
prior to the opening day of the next regular session.
PART 6
SECTION 6-1.
The funds necessary to carry out the provisions of Parts 1, 4, and 5 of this resolution shall
come from funds appropriated or otherwise available for the operation of the Senate except
that funds for any joint staff or joint offices under subsection (b) of Section 1-1 of this
resolution shall come from ancillary funds of the General Assembly. The funds necessary
to carry out the provisions of Part 2 of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated or
otherwise available for the operation of the Secretary of the Senate's Office. The funds
necessary to carry out the provisions of Part 3 of this resolution shall come from funds
appropriated or otherwise available for the operation of the President of the Senate's Office.
SECTION 6-2.
Any personnel employed pursuant to this resolution shall serve at the pleasure of the
appointing authority; and any such personnel may be discharged by the appointing authority
with or without cause.
SECTION 6-3.
This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the Senate.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

Senate Resolution 4 sets the internal staffing, pay, and expense rules for the Georgia Senate for the 2025-2026 legislative biennium, covering Senate employees, leadership salaries, and interim committee allowances.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution is the Georgia Senate's internal operating rulebook for the two-year legislative term. It authorizes the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs, the Secretary of the Senate, and the President of the Senate to hire staff such as pages, aides, consultants, chaplains, interns, and office personnel, with pay and duties set within available funding.

It also sets specific pay for the Secretary of the Senate, the Majority and Minority Leaders, and Administration Floor Leaders, and it lays out how senators and leadership are treated as one-person committees entitled to expense, mileage, and travel allowances when doing official business between sessions. It caps how many paid days a member can claim for this kind of work, lets committees keep working between sessions with the same allowances, and specifies which funding source pays for each part. The resolution took effect immediately when the Senate adopted it.

### What it does

- Authorizes the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs to hire pages, aides, court reporters, consultants, and staff for policy, budget, and press offices, with pay set within available funds.
- Sets the Secretary of the Senate's salary at its prior level plus any percentage raise given to other legislative branch employees.
- Grants the Majority Leader and Minority Leader $2,400 per year in salary and each Administration Floor Leader $1,200 per year, on top of regular legislative pay.
- Designates individual senators as one-person committees so they can claim mileage, travel, and expense allowances for official business done between legislative sessions.
- Lets the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs cap the number of paid days per year members can claim for this out-of-session work.
- Specifies that funding for these provisions comes from the Senate's own budget, the Secretary's office budget, or the President's office budget, depending on the part.

### Who it affects

Senate officers including the President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader, and Minority Leader, individual state senators, the Secretary of the Senate and that office's staff, the President of the Senate's staff, and Senate employees such as pages, interns, chaplains, and administrative personnel.

### Why it matters

The resolution determines how much Senate leaders and staff are paid, how senators are reimbursed for work done when the legislature is not in session, and how Senate committees keep functioning between sessions, directly shaping the Senate's staffing budget and operations for two years.

### Key provisions

- Section 1-1 authorizes the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs to hire postmaster, pages, aides, consultants, and staff for policy analysis, budget, and press offices.
- Section 1-1(b) lets the President of the Senate agree with the House to create and staff new joint offices of the General Assembly, funded from ancillary General Assembly funds.
- Section 2-2 sets the Secretary of the Senate's salary at the prior amount plus any legislative-branch-wide percentage raise from the General Appropriations Act.
- Section 4-3 sets annual salaries of $2,400 for the Majority and Minority Leaders and $1,200 for each Administration Floor Leader, on top of regular pay.
- Section 4-1 exempts the President Pro Tempore, Majority Leader, and Minority Leader from the annual cap on paid allowance days.
- Section 5-3 authorizes the Senate Committee on Administrative Affairs to cap the number of allowance-eligible days per year for other members.
- Section 6-1 designates which funding source (Senate operating funds, Secretary's office funds, or President's office funds) pays for each part of the resolution.
- Section 6-3 makes the resolution effective immediately upon Senate adoption.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2025-01-13)
- Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted (2025-01-13)
- Sponsors: John Kennedy, Steve Gooch, Harold Jones
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69270

> The history, votes, and amendments (469 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr4.md?full=1