ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Brian Kemp could tie New York’s Kathy Hochul for the highest-paid state governor under a proposal made Thursday.
State senators agreed to amend House Bill 86 to give big pay raises to most of Georgia’s statewide elected officials, who are all Republicans. The bill would also raise pay for judges on the state Supreme Court and other statewide courts.
The measure would raise Kemp’s pay from the $182,000 he made in the budget year that ended June 30 to $250,000. According to figures compiled by New York state government, that would tie Hochul, a Democrat for the most any governor is paid. Maine Gov. Janet Mills makes the least, at $70,000 a year, according to the figures.
The House must agree to the bill in the closing days of Georgia's 2025 legislative session before it would go to Kemp for his signature or veto, and changes could still be made. Rep. Rob Leverett, an Elberton Republican who sponsors the underlying measure, said he was “caught completely flat-footed” by the amendment and was still trying to decide whether he supported it.
Kemp had no advance notice of the proposal, said spokesperson Garrison Douglas, who otherwise declined to comment.
State Sen. John Albers, a Roswell Republican, said statewide official salaries need updating, noting that Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is now in line to earn a higher salary than Kemp.
“I believe it’s time that we stood up and said it’s the right thing to do because it’s woefully out of date,” said Albers, who made the surprise proposal as Georgia's yearly legislative session nears its end.
Other statewide officials including Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger would see their pay increase to $200,000 a year. So would Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Insurance Commissioner John King, incoming Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes and state schools Superintendent Richard Woods.
Currently, those officials earn a range of salaries between the $99,000 that Jones made last year and the $146,000 that Carr earned last year.
Also included in the bill is House Speaker Jon Burns, who would see his pay rise from $106,000 to $200,000. The raises would begin July 1, although some senators suggested any change would be more appropriate when officials are sworn in for new terms after upcoming 2026 elections.
Jones said if the measure became law, he would donate his raise back to the state treasury.
“Those things need to be vetted better than that,” Jones said immediately after the measure passed.
Raffensperger declined to comment while a spokesperson for Carr did not immediately respond to text messages seeking comment.
Jeff Amy, The Associated Press
