Georgia CommonsHB 1169: Spalding County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-11
A local bill would let Spalding County's Probate Court charge a new technology fee of up to $15 on civil filings and up to $15 as a surcharge on fines, with the money earmarked for court technology.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This bill applies only to Spalding County. It authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Spalding County to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the probate judge, of up to $15.00 for each civil action filed with the court and up to $15.00 as a surcharge added to any fine the court imposes. The money raised must be used only for the court's technological needs, including buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing that equipment, buying or leasing audio-visual, imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, recording, and printing equipment, and paying for technical support services. The funds must be kept in a separate account managed by the clerk and spent only as directed by the chief judge of the court. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Authorizes the Probate Court of Spalding County's clerk to charge a technology fee, capped at $15.00, on each civil action filed.
- Authorizes an additional technology surcharge, capped at $15.00, on each fine the court assesses.
- Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purposes: hardware, software, audio-visual and imaging equipment, and technical support services.
- Requires the collected funds to be kept in a segregated account and spent only as directed by the chief judge of the probate court.
Who it affects
People who file civil actions in the Probate Court of Spalding County and people who are fined by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. The court's clerk and chief judge would also be responsible for collecting, segregating, and directing the funds.
Why it matters
Residents dealing with Spalding County's probate court, whether filing paperwork or paying a fine, would face a small added cost of up to $15 each way. In exchange, the court would gain a dedicated funding source for computers, software, and technical support.
Key provisions
- Section 1(a) sets the fee amount, capped at $15.00 for civil filings and $15.00 as a fine surcharge, with the exact amount set by the probate judge.
- Section 1(a) lists the four allowed uses of the fee: computer purchases, hardware maintenance, audio-visual and related equipment, and technical support services.
- Section 1(b) requires the funds to be held in a segregated account controlled by the clerk and spent only as the chief judge directs.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Such technology fees shall be used exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Probate Court of Spalding County.”
“Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by the clerk of the probate court”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-11
- Act 544
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
- Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 12, 2026
156 yea, 0 nay (11 not voting, 8 absent)
- Senate voteFebruary 24, 2026
53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)
Topics
- Spalding County
- probate court fees
- court technology funding
- local legislation