--- title: HB 1553. Forest Park, City of; Municipal Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1553 cite_as: HB 1553, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1553 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1553.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1553/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74098 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1552.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1554.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 887 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1553.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1553 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: - Rhonda Burnough - Sandra Scott - Yasmin Neal text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1553/2025 upstream_id: 2134519 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - court fees - local government - Forest Park - police technology - municipal court --- # HB 1553. Forest Park, City of; Municipal Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee ## Text House Bill 1553 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Burnough of the 77th, Scott of the 76th, and Neal of the 79th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Municipal Court of the City of Forest Park; 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 Municipal Court of the City of Forest Park is hereby authorized to charge and collect a technology fee to be set by the judge of the municipal court in an amount not to exceed $10.00 as a surcharge to each criminal and quasi-criminal fine paid to the court. Such technology fees shall be used exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Municipal Court of the City of Forest Park and the city's police department. Such uses shall include only the following: (1) The purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of general technology infrastructure, including computer hardware and software, and equipment used for imaging, scanning, facsimile transmission, communications, projections, and printing; (2) The implementation, maintenance, and upgrade of evidence management systems; (3) The purchase, upkeep, and support of specialized police technology, including associated equipment for body-worn, mobile, stationary, or vehicle mounted cameras, license plate reader systems, and drones; and (4) Any other technology related equipment, system, or service deemed necessary by the governing body of the city for enhancing public safety for the effective operation of the court. (b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by the clerk of the municipal court and the chief financial officer of the city, and shall only be expended for authorized purposes upon the order of the judge of the court, following consulting with the court administrator and the chief of police. Such funds may be used to reimburse the city's information technology department for services provided to the court or police department. 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 the Municipal Court of the City of Forest Park charge a technology fee of up to $10 on criminal and quasi-criminal fines, with the money set aside for court and police technology. ### Plain-language summary This bill authorizes the clerk of the Municipal Court of the City of Forest Park to add a technology fee, capped at $10, as a surcharge on every criminal and quasi-criminal fine paid to the court. The municipal court judge sets the exact amount within that cap. The money collected can only go toward specific technology needs: general equipment like computers, scanners, and printers; evidence management systems; specialized police technology such as body cameras, license plate readers, and drones; and any other technology the city government decides is necessary for public safety or running the court. The funds must be kept in a separate account managed by the court clerk and the city's chief financial officer, and spending requires the judge's approval after consulting with the court administrator and police chief. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws. ### What it does - Authorizes the Forest Park Municipal Court clerk to add a technology fee of up to $10 to criminal and quasi-criminal fines. - Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purposes for the court and city police department, such as hardware, software, and evidence systems. - Allows the fee money to fund specialized police equipment including body cameras, license plate readers, and drones. - Requires the collected funds to be kept in a segregated account overseen jointly by the court clerk and the city's chief financial officer. - Requires the municipal court judge's approval, after consulting the court administrator and police chief, before any of the fee money can be spent. - Permits the funds to reimburse the city's information technology department for services it provides to the court or police. ### Who it affects People who pay criminal or quasi-criminal fines in the Forest Park Municipal Court, the court's clerk and judge, the city's chief financial officer, the Forest Park Police Department, and the city's information technology department. ### Why it matters Anyone fined in Forest Park's municipal court would pay up to $10 more, and that money would fund specific technology upgrades for the court and police, including surveillance tools like license plate readers and drones, rather than going into the city's general budget. ### Key provisions - Section 1(a) caps the technology fee at $10.00 per criminal or quasi-criminal fine and lets the municipal court judge set the exact amount. - Section 1(a) lists four permitted uses: general technology infrastructure, evidence management systems, specialized police technology, and other technology the city deems necessary for public safety or court operations. - Section 1(b) requires the fee revenue to be held in a segregated account managed by the court clerk and the city's chief financial officer. - Section 1(b) requires the judge's order, after consulting the court administrator and police chief, before funds can be spent, and allows reimbursing the city's IT department. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-11) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11) - Sponsors: Rhonda Burnough, Sandra Scott, Yasmin Neal - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74098 > The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1553.md?full=1