Georgia Senate receives bill from Sen. Cowsert to update prosecutor pay

State Sen. Bill Cowsert has put forward a measure in the Georgia Senate that would change how district attorneys and assistant district attorneys are paid throughout the state, according to the Georgia State Senate.

The measure, filed as SB606 on Wednesday, Feb. 25 during the 2026 regular session of the 158th General Assembly, is officially titled: ’”District Attorney Compensation Reform Act”; enact’.

Here’s an overview, referencing the actual bill text, with explanations to clarify what it includes.

If enacted, the bill—effective July 1, 2026—would update how Georgia determines pay for district attorneys and assistant district attorneys. It gives sitting district attorneys a choice between a standardized state salary with possible county “locality pay,” or keeping their current compensation arrangements, ensuring current district attorneys’ pay cannot decrease. The proposal replaces most county-paid salary supplements with capped locality pay, maintains current fringe and retirement benefits, and lets counties offer new retirement benefits that factor in locality pay. For assistant district attorneys, the bill would raise minimum salaries in fiscal years 2027 and 2028, and future salaries for district attorneys would be based on the General Appropriations Act. It would temporarily suspend local laws connecting other officials’ salaries to district attorney pay, with the suspension for judges ending automatically in 2027.

Sen. Steve Gooch (Republican-51st) and Sen. Greg Dolezal (Republican-27th) joined Cowsert as co-sponsors of the bill.

Since the session began, Cowsert has introduced nine other bills, out of which three have been adopted.

Cowsert earned a BS from Presbyterian College in 1980 and a JD from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1983.

Cowsert, a Republican, was elected in 2007 to represent Georgia’s 46th Senate District in the State Senate, succeeding previous senator Brian Kemp.

In Georgia, the legislative process starts with a lawmaker, sometimes responding to a constituent, working with the Office of Legislative Counsel to draft a proposal. Once filed with the House Clerk or Senate Secretary, it is read for the first time and sent to committee, where discussion and evaluation takes place. If passed by committee, it moves to the floor for final debate and a vote. The measure must get approval from both houses—sometimes involving a conference committee to reconcile differences—before going to the governor. The governor has six days during the session, or 40 days after adjournment (Sine Die), to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without a signature. The Georgia General Assembly meets yearly for 40 days, starting the second Monday in January.

Information in this article was obtained from the Georgia State Senate. The source data can be found here.