---
title: HB 1412. Courts; payment of certain money arising from traffic fines generated by members of the Uniform Division of the Department of Public Safety; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1412
cite_as: HB 1412, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1412
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1412.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1412/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73465
date: 2026-02-25
status: introduced
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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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1412.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1412
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-20
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Lauren McDonald
- Chuck Efstration
- Bill Hitchens
- James Burchett
- James Hatchett
- Clint Crowe
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1412/2025
upstream_id: 2121434
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- traffic fines
- state patrol
- county budgets
- court reporting requirements
- state revenue
---
# HB 1412. Courts; payment of certain money arising from traffic fines generated by members of the Uniform Division of the Department of Public Safety; provide
## Text
House Bill 1412
By: Representatives McDonald III of the 26th, Efstration of the 104th, Hitchens of the 161st,
Burchett of the 176th, Hatchett of the 155th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 21 of Title 15 and Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 40 of the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to payment and
disposition of fines and forfeitures and arrests, trials, and appeals relative to prosecution of
traffic offenses, respectively, so as to provide for payment of certain money arising from
traffic fines generated by members of the Uniform Division of the Department of Public
Safety to the general fund of the state treasury; to provide for reporting requirements; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 21 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to payment and disposition of fines and forfeitures, is amended
by revising Code Section 15-21-2, relating to payment into county treasury of fines and bond
forfeitures, as follows:
"15-21-2.
(a)(1) The clerks of the several courts shall pay into the county treasury of the county
where the court is held all moneys arising from fines and bond forfeitures collected by
them and, upon failure to do so, shall be subject to rule and attachment as in the case of
defaulting sheriffs.
(2) The provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not apply to:
(A) The the remainder of any fines, after costs, imposed for violation of any traffic
offense provided in or authorized by Chapter 6 of Title 40 on an urban interstate system
if the arrest or citation in such case was made or issued by a member of the Uniform
Division of the Department of Public Safety's motorcycle enforcement unit, in which
case such remainder shall be remitted to the Department of Public Safety and used for
the maintenance and enhancement of the department's motorcycle enforcement
program; and
(B) Except as otherwise specifically provided in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph,
70 percent of the remainder of any fines, after costs, imposed for violation of any traffic
offense provided in or authorized by Chapter 6 of Title 40 if the arrest or citation in
such case was made or issued by a member of the Uniform Division of the Department
of Public Safety, in which case such percentage shall be remitted to the general fund of
the state treasury.
(3) As used in this subsection, the term 'urban interstate system' means a portion of the
national system of interstate and defense highways which:
(A) Is located entirely within any part of this state; and
(B) Includes a single numbered interstate highway which forms a closed loop or
perimeter.
Where these conditions exist, the urban interstate system shall consist of the interstate
highway constituting the closed loop or perimeter and all interstate highways or portions
thereof located within such loop or perimeter, not including any portion of any interstate
highway outside of the loop or perimeter.
(4) The clerk of the court shall report the annual county revenue generated by fines for
arrests and citations imposed by members of the Uniform Division of the Department of
Public Safety under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) of this subsection to the
commissioner of public safety, the state revenue commissioner, and the county
commissioner or county board of commissioners for the county that is the subject of the
report. Such report shall be made no later than January 31 for the preceding calendar
year.
(b) No officer shall be required to pay any money into the treasury until all the legal claims
on the funds held and owned by the officer bringing the money into court in the particular
case by which the funds for distribution were brought into court have been allowed and
paid."
SECTION 2.
Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
arrests, trials, and appeals relative to prosecution of traffic offenses, is amended by revising
Code Section 40-13-26, relating to how sentences for traffic offenses served, disposition of
fines and costs, and definition of "urban interstate system" as follows:
"40-13-26.
(a) Defendants who plead guilty or who are convicted under this article shall be required
to serve their sentences in such manner as is provided for by law in misdemeanor cases.
In case a fine is imposed and paid, the officers of court, where on fee basis, shall first be
paid their costs arising in such case. After the payment of all costs, the remainder of such
fine shall be paid into the county treasury in the event the case is disposed of by the probate
court; if the case is disposed of by the municipal court of an incorporated municipality, the
remainder of such fine or fines shall be paid into the treasury of the municipality where the
court is located, except that where such courts have jurisdiction beyond the corporate limits
of a municipality, and the offense occurs outside the municipality, the fine shall be paid
into the county treasury; provided, however, that in any case where a fine was imposed for
violation of any traffic offense provided in or authorized by Chapter 6 of this title:
(1) On on any 'urban interstate system' urban interstate system, if the arrest or citation in
such case was made or issued by a member of the Uniform Division of the Department
of Public Safety's motorcycle enforcement unit, the remainder of such fine shall be
remitted to the Department of Public Safety for the maintenance and enhancement of the
Department's department's motorcycle program; and
(2) Except as otherwise specifically provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection, if the
arrest or citation was made or issued by a member of the Uniform Division of the
Department of Public Safety, 70 percent of the remainder of such fine shall be remitted
to the general fund of the state treasury.
(b)(1) The judge of the probate court or the person presiding over the municipal court
must shall pay into the county treasury, municipal treasury, state treasury, or Department
of Public Safety by the fifteenth day of each month the remainder of all fines for the
preceding month. Such payment must shall be accompanied by a list showing the name
of the defendant in each case, the fine imposed in each case, the costs in each case and
to whom paid, and the balance which is being paid into the treasury. The official making
such payment must shall be given a written receipt by the person receiving the payment.
No officer receiving a salary will receive any fees for arresting or attending court in any
case arising under this article, but the usual fees must shall be assessed, and, if the
arresting officer is not entitled to the costs, they must such funds shall go to the county
or city to which the fine is paid, to the state treasury, or the or Department of Public
Safety as required by this Code section.
(2) The judge of the probate court or other person presiding over the municipal court
shall report the annual municipal revenue generated by fines for arrests and citations
imposed by members of the Uniform Division of the Department of Public Safety under
paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this Code section to the commissioner of public safety,
the state revenue commissioner, and the mayor or commission for the municipality that
is the subject of the report. Such report shall be made no later than January 31 for the
preceding calendar year.
(b)(c) As used in this Code section, the term 'urban interstate system' means a portion of
the national system of interstate and defense highways which:
(1) Is located entirely within any part of this state; and
(2) Includes a single numbered interstate highway which forms a closed loop or
perimeter.
Where these conditions exist, the urban interstate system shall consist of the interstate
highway constituting the closed loop or perimeter and all interstate highways or portions
thereof located within such loop or perimeter, not including any portion of any interstate
highway outside of the loop or perimeter."
SECTION 3.
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 send 70 percent of most traffic fine revenue from tickets written by the State Patrol's Uniform Division into the state's general fund, instead of leaving all of it with local governments.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, when a county or municipal court collects a fine for a traffic offense, the money (after costs) typically stays with the local county or city treasury, except for a special carve-out for the Department of Public Safety's motorcycle enforcement unit on certain interstate loops. This bill changes that split. For tickets written by any member of the Uniform Division of the Department of Public Safety (Georgia State Patrol troopers), 70 percent of the remaining fine money would now go to the state's general fund instead of the local treasury, unless the motorcycle enforcement unit exception already applies.
The bill also adds new reporting duties. County clerks and probate or municipal court judges would have to report, by January 31 each year, how much revenue was generated locally from these State Patrol fines to the commissioner of public safety, the state revenue commissioner, and the relevant county or municipal governing body. The bill repeals conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date beyond standard enactment.
### What it does
- Redirects 70 percent of the remaining traffic fine money from tickets issued by Uniform Division (State Patrol) officers to the state general fund instead of the county or municipal treasury.
- Keeps the existing exception where fines from the motorcycle enforcement unit on certain urban interstate loops go to the Department of Public Safety for its motorcycle program.
- Requires county court clerks to file an annual report by January 31 showing county revenue from these State Patrol fines to the commissioner of public safety, the state revenue commissioner, and county commissioners.
- Requires probate and municipal court judges to file a similar annual report on municipal revenue from these fines to the same state officials and to the relevant mayor or commission.
- Updates payment procedures so that judges can pay collected fine money into the state treasury, in addition to county, municipal, or Department of Public Safety accounts, as the new split requires.
### Who it affects
County and municipal court clerks and judges who handle traffic fine payments, county and city governments that currently keep this fine revenue, the Department of Public Safety and its Uniform Division troopers, the state revenue commissioner's office, and Georgia drivers who receive traffic citations from State Patrol officers.
### Why it matters
Local governments would lose a share of traffic fine revenue they currently keep in full, since 70 percent of money from State Patrol-issued tickets would flow to the state instead. This shifts funding away from county and city budgets toward the state treasury and creates new annual reporting obligations for local courts.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 15-21-2 so that 70 percent of the remainder of fines from Uniform Division arrests or citations goes to the state general fund, except where the existing motorcycle enforcement unit exception applies.
- Section 1 requires county clerks to report annual county revenue from these fines to the commissioner of public safety, the state revenue commissioner, and county commissioners by January 31 each year.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-13-26 to apply the same 70 percent state general fund split to fines collected by probate and municipal courts for Uniform Division tickets.
- Section 2 requires probate or municipal court judges to report annual municipal revenue from these fines to the same state officials and to the mayor or municipal commission by January 31 each year.
- Section 2 updates payment procedures so judges may pay fine proceeds into the state treasury as well as county, municipal, or Department of Public Safety accounts.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-20)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-25)
- Sponsors: Lauren McDonald, Chuck Efstration, Bill Hitchens, James Burchett, James Hatchett, Clint Crowe
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73465
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1412.md?full=1