HB790: HB790 Macon County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Macon County to charge a new technology fee. The judge sets the exact amount, but it cannot exceed $5.00 for filing each civil action and cannot exceed $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court imposes. The money collected must be kept in a separate account and can only be spent on specific technology needs of the probate court, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing imaging and communications equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files. The bill sets July 1, 2035 as the date the court's authority to collect this fee ends. Any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Macon County technology uses rather than being refunded or spent elsewhere.

• Authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Macon County to charge and collect a technology fee, with the amount set by the probate judge.
• Caps the fee at $5.00 per civil filing and $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine assessed by the court.
• Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records.
• Requires the collected funds to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized technology purposes.
• Ends the court's authority to collect the fee on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any leftover funds to general Macon County technology uses.

People filing civil actions in the Probate Court of Macon County and people who have fines assessed by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. The court clerk and judge, who set and administer the fee, are also directly affected.

Residents and litigants using Macon County's probate court would pay a small added cost when filing civil cases or paying court fines, while the court gains a dedicated funding source for computers, digital record-keeping, and related equipment through 2035.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the fee, capping it at $5.00 for each civil filing and $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine, with the exact amount set by the probate judge.
• Section 1(a) limits fee spending to four categories: computer hardware/software purchases, hardware lease/maintenance/installation, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Section 1(b) requires the clerk to keep collected fees in a segregated account used only for the authorized purposes.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee-collection authority on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Macon County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-04-30Effective Date 2025-04-30
2. 2025-04-30Act 38
3. 2025-04-30House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-27House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Patty Stinson (D, HD-150)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 27, 2025

   164 yea, 0 nay (12 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #317

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   49 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #339

• court fees
• Macon County
• probate court
• local government funding