---
title: HB 1542. Worth County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1542
cite_as: HB 1542, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1542
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1542.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1542/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74035
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/hb1542.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1542
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:
  - Bill Yearta
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1542/2025
upstream_id: 2133318
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - local legislation
  - Worth County
  - court fees
  - magistrate court
  - court technology
---

# HB 1542. Worth County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

House Bill 1542 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representative Yearta of the 152nd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of
Worth 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 Worth County is hereby authorized to charge and
collect a technology fee to be set by the chief magistrate in an amount not to exceed $10.00
for the filing of each civil action with the court and not to exceed $10.00 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 Worth 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 Worth 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 Worth County's Magistrate Court charge a technology fee of up to $10 on civil filings and up to $10 as a surcharge on fines, with the authority to collect it ending in 2036.

### Plain-language summary

This bill applies only to Worth County. It authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the chief magistrate, of up to $10 for filing each civil action and up to $10 as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses.
The money can only be spent on specific technology needs: buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing computer equipment, buying or leasing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment, and converting court records to digital form for public access. Funds must be kept in a separate account used only for these purposes. The court's authority to charge this fee ends on July 1, 2036, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Worth County technology uses.

### What it does

- Authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Worth County to charge up to a $10 technology fee on each civil case filed with the court.
- Authorizes a separate surcharge of up to $10 on each fine assessed by the court, also for technology purposes.
- Restricts how the fee money can be spent to computer equipment, software, related maintenance, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Requires the collected fees to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized technology purposes.
- Sets an end date of July 1, 2036 for the fee authority, with leftover funds staying dedicated to Worth County technology uses.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this Act.

### Who it affects

People who file civil lawsuits in the Worth County Magistrate Court and people who are fined by that court, since both groups could pay the new fee or surcharge. The Magistrate Court clerk and chief magistrate, who set and manage the fee, are also directly affected.

### Why it matters

Residents and businesses using Worth County's Magistrate Court for civil filings or paying court fines would see a small added cost, up to $20 combined in some cases, but the money is restricted to funding court technology like digitizing records and upgrading equipment.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) sets the fee amounts, up to $10.00 per civil filing and up to $10.00 as a fine surcharge, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate.
- Section 1(a) limits fee spending to four categories: computer purchases, hardware maintenance, imaging/printing equipment, and digitizing court records for public access.
- 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 authority on July 1, 2036 and directs any leftover funds to general Worth 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: Bill Yearta
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74035

> The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1542.md?full=1