HB 1260: Local government; cessation of payment of salary, compensation, and expenses to members of county and municipal governing authorities who fail to certify completion of mandatory training; provide

Georgia law already requires newly elected members of county and municipal governing authorities to complete a training course on local government administration. This bill adds a deadline and a financial consequence. Elected officials would have to finish the training by July 1 of the year after their election and certify completion to the clerk within 30 days. If a county or city governing authority member fails to certify that training, the county or municipal government would have to stop paying that member's salary, compensation, and expenses. The member would get nothing until they provide the certification. The bill amends four sections of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated covering county and municipal compensation and training rules, and repeals any conflicting laws.

• Requires county governing authority members to complete mandatory training by July 1 of the year after their election, and to certify completion to the county clerk within 30 days.
• Requires municipal governing authority members to meet the same training completion and certification deadlines.
• Cuts off salary, compensation, and expense payments to a county governing authority member who fails to certify completed training, until they do so.
• Cuts off salary, compensation, and expense payments to a municipal governing authority member who fails to certify completed training, until they do so.
• Amends O.C.G.A. §§ 36-5-24, 36-20-4, 36-35-4, and 36-45-4 to add these deadlines and pay-suspension rules.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these new requirements.

Elected members of county commissions and city councils across Georgia who are subject to mandatory training requirements, along with county and municipal clerks who must track certifications, and the local finance offices responsible for stopping and later resuming pay.

Georgia already requires new local officials to take training, but there was no firm deadline or financial penalty for skipping it. Under this bill, officials who miss the certification deadline would lose their pay and expense reimbursements until they complete and certify the training.

• Section 1 adds a new subsection (b.1) to O.C.G.A. § 36-5-24 requiring counties to stop paying a governing authority member who has not certified completed training.
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 36-20-4 to set a July 1 completion deadline and a 30 day certification deadline for county officials' training.
• Section 3 adds a new subsection (a.1) to O.C.G.A. § 36-35-4 requiring municipalities to stop paying a governing authority member who has not certified completed training.
• Section 4 amends O.C.G.A. § 36-45-4 to set the same July 1 completion deadline and 30 day certification deadline for municipal officials' training.
• Section 5 repeals any conflicting state laws.

1. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-02-11House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-02-10House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2026-02-09House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)Patrocinador principal
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Johnny Chastain (R, HD-007)
• Joe Campbell (R, HD-171)
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)
• Al Williams (D, HD-168)

• local government training
• county commissioners
• city council pay
• government ethics
• municipal government