HB378: HB378 State courts of counties; online publishing of terms; provide

State courts of Georgia's counties operate on set terms, periods during which the court conducts business, but there is currently no statewide requirement that clerks post this information online. This bill adds a new section to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 15-7-41.1) requiring every state court clerk to publish and maintain information about term dates in a prominent spot on the court's public website. The bill is short and narrowly focused: it does not change how court terms are set, only how the public learns about them. It also repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new requirement. The bill does not include a specific effective date provision beyond the standard process for bills passed by the General Assembly.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 15-7-41.1) requiring state court clerks to publish term of court dates online.
• Requires that this information be posted in a prominent location on the court's public website, not buried in a hard-to-find page.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new online posting requirement.

State court clerks in Georgia's counties, who must publish and maintain the information, and members of the public, including attorneys, litigants, and researchers who want to find out when a state court's terms begin and end.

Georgians who need to know when a state court's terms take place, such as attorneys filing deadlines or people involved in a case, would be able to find that information online instead of having to call or visit the courthouse in person.

• Section 1 adds new Code section 15-7-41.1 to Article 3 of Chapter 7 of Title 15, requiring state court clerks to publish and maintain term of court information and dates.
• Section 1 specifies the information must appear 'in a prominent location on its public website,' not just somewhere on the site.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause clearing the way for the new requirement to take effect.

1. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
2. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
3. 2025-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
4. 2025-03-21Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
5. 2025-03-04Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
6. 2025-03-03House Passed/Adopted (House)
7. 2025-03-03House Third Readers (House)
8. 2025-02-21House Committee Favorably Reported (House)

• Martin Momtahan (R, HD-017)Primary sponsor
• Stan Gunter (R, HD-008)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 3, 2025

   162 yea, 11 nay (4 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #132

• state courts
• court transparency
• local government
• public records