Georgia Legislature approves Ford bill adjusting Tift County court pay and solicitor-general role

State Rep. Jaclyn Ford authored a new measure revising salary provisions for the Tift County state court judge and making the solicitor-general position full time, the Georgia State House reported.

The legislation advanced through both chambers as of Tuesday, Feb. 17, with the House voting 165-0 and the Senate 48-1 in favor.

Filed as HB940 on Monday, Jan. 12, at the start of the 2026 regular session of the 158th General Assembly, the bill’s formal title was: ‘Tift County; State Court; provide for compensation of the judge.’

Below is an analysis based on the actual bill text, with clarifications provided for context.

The bill updates the local Act related to the State Court of Tift County, specifying salary guidelines for the judge and solicitor-general. The state court judge will be prohibited from practicing law during the term and must receive an annual salary of at least $100,000 but not more than 75% of a superior court judge’s state salary in the Tifton Judicial Circuit, with payments from the county’s general fund on a monthly basis. For the solicitor-general, the bill converts the job to a full-time role and guarantees at least $90,000 in annual salary, also funded by the county general fund.

House approval included votes from 73 Democrats and 92 Republicans, with no opposition recorded.

The Senate vote tallied 19 Democrats and 29 Republicans in support, with one Republican casting a no vote.

Rep. Angie O’Steen (Republican-169th) co-sponsored the bill alongside Ford.

Ford graduated from the University of Georgia.

A Republican, Ford was elected in 2025 to represent Georgia’s 170th House District, succeeding Penny Houston in the role.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed the bill into law on Monday, May 11.

Georgia, the legislative process typically starts with a lawmaker collaborating with the Office of Legislative Counsel to draft a bill, often on behalf of a constituent. After filing with either the House Clerk or Senate Secretary, the bill is first read and assigned to a committee for debate and fact-finding. If approved there, it goes to the floor for further readings, debate, and voting. Passage in both chambers is required—sometimes necessitating a conference committee—before the measure is delivered to the governor. The governor then has six days during session, or 40 days following adjournment (Sine Die), to sign, veto, or let the bill become law without a signature. The Georgia General Assembly conducts a 40-day session each year beginning the second Monday in January.

Information for this report was provided by the Georgia State House. For source data, see here.