Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Introduced 12 R cosponsors

SB 527 — Sheriffs; candidates for the office of sheriff are certified peace officers at the time of qualifying as a candidate; require

Last action — House Committee Favorably Reported

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  1. 1
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 18, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee referral and hearing.

Prognosis

Advancing 38% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • Introduced

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 12 sponsors

    1 primary, 11 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (12 R).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 15-16-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to qualification requirements for sheriff and exemptions, so as to require that candidates for the office of sheriff are certified peace officers at the time of qualifying as a candidate; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. House Committee Favorably Reported

  2. House Second Readers

  3. House First Readers

  4. Senate Passed/Adopted

  5. Senate Third Read

  6. Senate Read Second Time

  7. Senate Committee Favorably Reported

  8. Senate Read and Referred

  9. Senate Hopper

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 11 co-sponsors · 235 not signed on · 3 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (11)

Not signed on (235)

235 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 235 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

PASSAGE

Passed 49 Yea · 3 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 32000
Democrat 17303
Unaffiliated 0001
Total 49304
% of votes cast 88%5%0%7%
How each member voted (56)
Member Party Vote
VACANT — Not Voting
David Lucas Democrat Yea
Derek Mallow Democrat Yea
Donzella James Democrat Yea
Ed Harbison Democrat Yea
Elena Parent Democrat Yea
Emanuel Jones Democrat Nay
Freddie Powell Sims Democrat Nay
Gail Davenport Democrat Yea
Harold Jones II Democrat Yea
Jaha Howard Democrat Yea
Josh McLaurin Democrat Not Voting
Kenya Wicks Democrat Yea
Kim Jackson Democrat Not Voting
Michael 'Doc' Rhett Democrat Yea
Nabilah Parkes Democrat Not Voting
Nan Orrock Democrat Yea
Nikki Merritt Democrat Yea
RaShaun Kemp Democrat Yea
Randal Mangham Democrat Nay
Sally Harrell Democrat Yea
Sheikh Rahman Democrat Yea
Sonya Halpern Democrat Yea
Tonya Anderson Democrat Yea
Ben Watson Republican Yea
Bill Cowsert Republican Yea
Billy Hickman Republican Yea
Blake Tillery Republican Yea
Bo Hatchett Republican Yea
Brian Strickland Republican Yea
Carden Summers Republican Yea
Chuck Hufstetler Republican Yea
Chuck Payne Republican Yea
Clint Dixon Republican Yea
Drew Echols Republican Yea
Ed Setzler Republican Yea
Frank Ginn Republican Yea
Greg Dolezal Republican Yea
Jason Anavitarte Republican Yea
Jason T. Dickerson Republican Yea
John Albers Republican Yea
Kay Kirkpatrick Republican Yea
Larry Walker, III Republican Yea
Lee Anderson Republican Yea
Marty Harbin Republican Yea
Matt Brass Republican Yea
Max Burns Republican Yea
Mike Hodges Republican Yea
Randy Robertson Republican Yea
Rick Williams Republican Yea
Russ Goodman Republican Yea
Sam Watson Republican Yea
Shawn Still Republican Yea
Steve Gooch Republican Yea
Steven McNeel Republican Yea
Timothy Bearden Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 527 do?
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 15-16-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to qualification requirements for sheriff and exemptions, so as to require that candidates for the office of sheriff are certified peace officers at the time of qualifying as a candidate; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
Who sponsors SB 527?
SB 527 is sponsored by Chuck Payne (Republican), Shawn Still (Republican), Matt Brass (Republican), Lee Anderson (Republican), Jason T. Dickerson (Republican), Max Burns (Republican), Mike Hodges (Republican), Billy Hickman (Republican), Marty Harbin (Republican), John Albers (Republican), Clint Dixon (Republican), and Randy Robertson (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 527?
This bill has been introduced in the Senate. Introduced February 18, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 527?
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Last checked for changes 4 months ago · updated continuously

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