---
title: HB 1172. Spalding County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1172
cite_as: HB 1172, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1172
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1172.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1172/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72783
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: 887
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1172.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1172
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:
  - Beth Camp
  - Karen Mathiak
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1172/2025
upstream_id: 2106736
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Spalding County
  - magistrate court fees
  - local court funding
  - court technology
---

# HB 1172. Spalding County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

House Bill 1172 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Camp of the 135th and Mathiak of the 82nd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of
Spalding County; to identify the authorized uses of such technology fee; 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 Spalding County is hereby authorized to charge and
collect a technology fee to be set by the judge of the magistrate court in an amount not to
exceed $15.00 for the filing of each civil action with the court and not to exceed $15.00 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 Spalding 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 audio-visual, imaging, scanning,
facsimile, communications, projection, recording, and printing equipment and software;
and
(4) Procurement of technical support services.
(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 as directed by the chief judge of the court.
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 Georgia House bill would let the Magistrate Court of Spalding County charge a technology fee of up to $15 on civil case filings and up to $15 on fines, with the money earmarked for court technology.

### Plain-language summary

This bill applies only to Spalding County's Magistrate Court, a local court that handles smaller civil disputes and some criminal matters. Currently the court has no specific authority to charge a technology fee. The bill lets the clerk of the court charge and collect a fee, set by the magistrate judge, of up to $15.00 for filing each civil action and up to $15.00 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 the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining equipment, purchasing audio-visual and recording equipment, and paying for technical support services. The chief judge of the court directs how the segregated funds are used. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a specific future effective date beyond standard enactment.

### What it does

- Authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Spalding County to charge a technology fee of up to $15.00 on each civil case filing.
- Authorizes an additional surcharge of up to $15.00 on each fine assessed by the court, also capped at $15.00.
- Restricts use of the fee money to specific technology purposes: computer hardware and software, audio-visual and communications equipment, and technical support services.
- Requires the fees to be kept in a separate, segregated account managed by the clerk and directed by the chief judge.

### Who it affects

People who file civil lawsuits in the Spalding County Magistrate Court and people who are fined by that court would pay the new fee. The court's clerk and chief judge would manage the collected funds, and the court itself would gain a dedicated technology budget.

### Why it matters

Litigants and defendants in Spalding County's Magistrate Court would face a modest added cost of up to $15 per filing or fine, while the court would gain a dedicated funding source to modernize equipment like computers, recording tools, and communications systems without relying on the county's general budget.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) sets the fee cap at $15.00 for civil filings and a separate $15.00 cap as a surcharge on fines, with the amount set by the magistrate judge.
- Section 1(a) lists the only allowed uses: computer hardware and software purchases, leasing and maintenance of hardware, audio-visual and communications equipment, and technical support procurement.
- Section 1(b) requires the fees to be held in a segregated account and spent only as the chief judge directs.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Beth Camp, Karen Mathiak
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72783

> The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1172.md?full=1