---
title: HB 1140. Ben Hill County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1140
cite_as: HB 1140, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1140
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1140.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1140/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72699
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 886
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1140.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1140
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Leesa Hagan
  - Noel Williams
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1140/2025
upstream_id: 2104349
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - court fees
  - Ben Hill County
  - magistrate court
  - local legislation
  - court technology
---

# HB 1140. Ben Hill County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

House Bill 1140 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Hagan of the 156th and Williams of the 148th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of
Ben Hill County; to identify the authorized uses of such technology fee; to provide for the
termination of such technology fee and dedication of residual funds; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
(a) The clerk of the Magistrate Court of Ben Hill County is hereby authorized to charge and
collect a technology fee to be set by the chief magistrate in an amount not to exceed $5.00
for the filing of each civil action with the court and not to exceed $5.00 as a surcharge upon
each fine assessed by the court. Such technology fees shall be used exclusively to provide
for technological needs of the Magistrate Court of Ben Hill County. Such uses shall include
only the following:
(1) Computer hardware, software, and accessory purchases;
(2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware;
(3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,
communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and
(4) Procurement of services or equipment for the conversion of court records and archives
to digital content for public access.
(b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by
the clerk of the magistrate court and shall be used only for the purposes authorized in this
section.
(c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to this Act shall terminate on
July 1, 2036, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)
of this section shall remain dedicated to general Ben Hill County technology uses.
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

A House bill would let Ben Hill County's Magistrate Court charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil filings and up to $5 as a surcharge on fines, with the money earmarked for court technology through mid-2036.

### Plain-language summary

This bill applies only to the Magistrate Court of Ben Hill County. It authorizes the court clerk, at an amount set by the chief magistrate, to charge up to $5.00 when someone files a civil action and to add up to $5.00 as a surcharge on any fine the court assesses.

The money collected can only be used for the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining imaging and communications equipment, or digitizing court records for public access. The funds must be kept in a separate account by the clerk. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2036, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Ben Hill County technology uses rather than being refunded or spent elsewhere.

### What it does

- Authorizes the Ben Hill County Magistrate Court clerk to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil case filed with the court.
- Authorizes an additional surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine the court assesses, also capped at $5.00.
- Limits use of the collected fees to specific technology purposes: computer equipment, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account used only for these authorized purposes.
- Ends the court's authority to collect the fee on July 1, 2036, with leftover funds dedicated to general county technology uses.

### Who it affects

People who file civil lawsuits in the Ben Hill County Magistrate Court and people who are fined by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. The court clerk and Ben Hill County government are also affected, since they manage and benefit from the funds.

### Why it matters

Anyone filing a small claims or other civil case, or paying a court fine, in Ben Hill County's Magistrate Court would pay a small added cost, up to $10 total between the filing fee and surcharge. In exchange, the court would have a dedicated funding source for computers, digital records, and related equipment through 2036.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) sets the technology fee at up to $5.00 per civil filing and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on fines, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate.
- Section 1(a) lists the only allowed uses: computer hardware and software, equipment leasing and maintenance, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records for public access.
- Section 1(b) requires the clerk to keep collected fees in a segregated account used solely for these purposes.
- Section 1(c) terminates the fee-collection authority on July 1, 2036, and dedicates any remaining balance to general Ben Hill County technology uses.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Leesa Hagan, Noel Williams
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72699

> The history, votes, and amendments (886 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1140.md?full=1