SB317: SB317 Magistrate Court of Clinch County; assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize

This bill applies only to Clinch County. It authorizes the county's governing authority to pass a resolution letting the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Clinch County charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on certain court activity: civil actions filed, estates filed, convictions, fines (as a surcharge), and affidavit filings other than indigency affidavits. The fee can only be charged once per party per case. The money collected must go exclusively toward the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing imaging, scanning, fax, and printing equipment, and digitizing court records for public access. The clerk must send collected funds to the county governing authority monthly, and the county must keep them in a separate account (or a joint account with the probate court's technology fee if the two judgeships are consolidated), audited annually. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Authorizes Clinch County's governing authority to adopt a resolution letting the Magistrate Court clerk charge a technology fee of up to $5.00.
• Applies the fee to civil actions, estates, convictions, fine surcharges, and affidavit filings (except indigency affidavits) filed in the Magistrate Court.
• Limits the fee to being charged once per party within any single action or proceeding.
• Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases: computer hardware and software, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Requires the clerk to remit collected fees monthly to the county, which must keep them in a separate, audited account.

People who file civil actions, estates, or affidavits in the Clinch County Magistrate Court, people convicted or fined there, the Magistrate Court clerk, the Clinch County governing authority, and potentially the probate court if the probate and magistrate judgeships are consolidated.

If enacted, Clinch County residents using the Magistrate Court could pay a small added fee on filings, convictions, and fines, generating dedicated funding for the court's computer systems and records digitization rather than relying on the county's general budget.

• Section 1(a) authorizes a technology fee up to $5.00, set by county resolution, on civil filings, estate filings, convictions, fine surcharges, and most affidavit filings.
• Section 1(a) exempts affidavits of indigency from the fee and limits collection to once per party per action.
• Section 1(a) restricts fee spending to four listed technology categories, including hardware/software purchases and digitizing court records.
• Section 1(b) requires monthly remittance of fees to the county and a separate, annually audited account, allowing a joint account with the probate court's technology fee if consolidated.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 607
3. 2026-05-11Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2026-02-06House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2026-02-06House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-02-06House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-03-13House Second Readers (House)

• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)Primary sponsor
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 10, 2025

   43 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 9 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #221

2. PassedHouse voteFebruary 6, 2026

   163 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #480

• court fees
• Clinch County
• magistrate court
• local government funding