Composition; terms of office; vacancies

(a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) ‘‘District’’ means an area of this state containing one or more counties which is designated and numbered as a district by The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia. (2) ‘‘Training council’’ means the Probate Judges Training Council. (b)(1) The training council shall consist of one member from each district as elected by the judges of the probate courts within such district. Such elections shall occur prior to the annual spring business meeting of The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia. Training councilmembers shall serve four-year terms; provided, however, that members from odd-numbered districts shall serve an initial term of two years and members from even-numbered districts shall serve an initial term of four years. All members may succeed themselves, and successors shall be elected in the same manner as the original members immediately prior to the expiration of each member’s term of office. The president of The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia shall be a voting member of the training council ex officio. (2) The Council of Probate Judges of Georgia may add up to four additional members to the training council. Such members shall be selected from the members of The Council of Probate Judges of Georgia at large and serve for two-year terms. Such members may succeed themselves if they are reappointed by the council. If a vacancy occurs for the additional members added, the council shall determine how to fill the vacancy. (c) In the event a vacancy occurs in the membership of the training council as a result of a death, resignation, removal, or failure of reelection as a probate judge, the members of the district in which such vacancy has occurred shall elect a qualified person from the district to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term of the member whose seat is vacant. The person elected to fill such vacancy shall take office immediately upon election. 489 History. — Ga. L. 1982, p. 1612, § 3; Code 1981, § 15-9-102, enacted by Ga. L. 1982, p. 1612, § 6; Ga. L. 1983, p. 3, § 12; Ga. L. 1989, p. 245, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 768, § 2; Ga. L. 2008, p. 715, § 4/SB 508; Ga. L. 2018, p. 356, § 1-33/SB 436. The 2018 amendment, effective July 15-9-104 1, 2018, designated the existing provisions of subsection (b) as paragraph (b)(1); substituted ‘‘councilmembers’’ for ‘‘council members’’ near the beginning of the third sentence of paragraph (b)(1); and added paragraph (b)(2). 15-9-103. ‘‘Training council’’ defined; meetings; officers; reimbursement of expenses. (a) As used in this Code section, the term ‘‘training council’’ means the Probate Judges Training Council. (b) The training council shall meet not later than the annual spring business meeting of The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia and at such other times and places as it shall determine necessary or convenient to perform its duties. The training council shall annually elect a chairperson and such other officers as it shall deem necessary and shall adopt such rules for the transaction of its business as it shall desire. The members of the training council shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for their actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the training council. History. — Ga. L. 1982, p. 1612, § 4; Code 1981, § 15-9-104, enacted by Ga. L. 1982, p. 1612, § 6; Ga. L. 1989, p. 245, § 2; Code 1981, § 15-9-103, as redesignated by Ga. L. 1995, p. 768, § 2; Ga. L. 2018, p. 356, § 1-34/SB 436. The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, added subsection (a); redesignated the existing provisions of this Code section as subsection (b); and substituted ‘‘not later than’’ for ‘‘immediately following’’ near the middle of the first sentence of subsection (b). 15-9-104. Eligibility of councilmember to hold office of judge of probate court. Notwithstanding any other law, a councilmember shall not be ineligible to hold the office of judge of the probate court by virtue of his or her position as a member of the Probate Judges Training Council. History. — Ga. L. 1982, p. 1612, § 5; Code 1981, § 15-9-105, enacted by Ga. L. 1982, p. 1612, § 6; Ga. L. 1994, p. 97, § 15; Code 1981, § 15-9-104, as redesignated by Ga. L. 1995, p. 768, § 2; Ga. L. 2018, p. 356, § 1-35/SB 436. The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, substituted ‘‘Probate Judges Training Council’’ for ‘‘training council’’ at the end of this Code section. Editor’s notes. — Ga. L. 1995, p. 768, § 2, redesignated former Code Section 15-9-104 as present Code Section 15-9-103. 490 15-9-105 15-9-105. Redesignated.