Republican lawmakers in Georgia are moving forward with legislation that would create a new oversight panel in the state that, depending on who you ask, either cracks down on “rogue” prosecutors or will be wielded to remove progressive Democrats from office.
After passing two slightly different versions of oversight legislation, House Bill 231 in the House and SB 92 in the Senate, Republican leadership is expected to spend the final days of the 2023 legislative session hashing out a finalized agreement on what new prosecutorial oversight would look like.
But like many legislative proposals on controversial subjects, the motivations of supporters, the concerns of those opposed, the actual language contained in the bill(s), and the political reality of making changes in a closely divided state all offer slightly different perspectives on this effort to create a new commission that could discipline district attorneys and solicitors general who violate their duties spelled out in state law, including potential removal from office.
Here’s a look at similarities and differences in the bills and explanations of what a commission would and would not look like. But first: how we got here.