--- title: HB 1569. McDonough, City of; Municipal Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1569 cite_as: HB 1569, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1569 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1569.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1569/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74186 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/hb1568.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1570.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 887 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1569.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1569 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: - Mary Ann Santos - Noelle Kahaian text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1569/2025 upstream_id: 2135912 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - municipal court fees - McDonough Georgia - local government funding - court technology - public safety technology --- # HB 1569. McDonough, City of; Municipal Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee ## Text House Bill 1569 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Santos of the 117th and Kahaian of the 81st 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 McDonough; 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 McDonough 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 $15.00 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 McDonough and the city's public safety services. Such uses shall include only the following: (1) Purchasing, leasing, upgrading, maintaining, and installing of general technology infrastructure, including computer hardware, software, and equipment used for imaging, scanning, facsimile transmission, communication, printing, and projections; (2) Purchasing, leasing, maintaining, upgrading, and subscribing to software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms and evidence management systems; (3) Purchasing, leasing, upgrading, maintaining, and installing equipment for imaging, scanning, facsimile, communication, and projections; (4) Purchasing, leasing, upgrading, maintaining, and operating body-worn, mobile, fixed, or vehicle mounted cameras, automated license plate reader systems, drones, and other emerging public safety technology; (5) Any additional technology necessary to improve public safety and court efficiency, service delivery, and effectiveness; and (6) Any other technology related equipment, system, or service the city deems necessary for enhancing public safety or court operations. (b) All funds collected pursuant to this Act shall be maintained in a segregated account by the chief financial officer or director of finance of the city and the clerk of the municipal court, separate from other funds of the city. Funds shall be expended only for the purposes authorized in this section, upon direction of the mayor or city administrator. The funds may also be used to reimburse the city's information technology department for services provided to the court or public safety operations. (c) The technology fee shall be in addition to any other fines or fees authorized by law and shall be assessed only upon conviction, a nolo plea, or final disposition of the case. No fee shall be assessed for cases that are dismissed or nolle prossed. 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 bill covering only the City of McDonough would let its Municipal Court add up to a $15 technology fee to criminal fines, with the money earmarked for court and public safety technology. ### Plain-language summary This bill applies only to the Municipal Court of the City of McDonough. It authorizes the court clerk to charge a technology fee, set by the municipal court judge, of up to $15.00 on every criminal and quasi-criminal fine paid to the court. The fee is a surcharge on top of any other fines or fees already required by law. The money collected must be kept in a separate account managed by the city's chief financial officer or finance director along with the court clerk, and spent only on court and public safety technology such as computer hardware and software, evidence management systems, body cameras, license plate readers, drones, and similar equipment. Funds can also reimburse the city's IT department for services to the court or public safety. The fee only applies when a case ends in conviction, a no-contest plea, or final disposition; it cannot be charged if a case is dismissed or dropped (nolle prossed). ### What it does - Authorizes the Municipal Court of the City of McDonough to charge a technology fee of up to $15.00 as a surcharge on criminal and quasi-criminal fines. - Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purposes, including computer equipment, software subscriptions, body and vehicle cameras, license plate readers, and drones. - Requires the collected funds to be kept in a segregated city account separate from other city funds, managed by the finance director and court clerk. - Allows the funds to reimburse the city's information technology department for services provided to the court or public safety operations. - Bars the fee from being charged in cases that are dismissed or nolle prossed, limiting it to convictions, no-contest pleas, or final case dispositions. ### Who it affects People convicted of criminal or quasi-criminal offenses in the Municipal Court of the City of McDonough, who would pay the added fee on top of their fine. It also affects the McDonough municipal court clerk, city finance officials, and the city's information technology and public safety departments. ### Why it matters Anyone fined in McDonough's municipal court would pay up to $15 more, funding technology like body cameras and license plate readers for local courts and police. The measure applies only within this one city and does not change fees or procedures anywhere else in Georgia. ### Key provisions - Section 1(a) sets the fee ceiling at $15.00 per fine and lists six categories of technology purchases the money can fund, from general IT equipment to drones and license plate readers. - Section 1(b) requires the funds to be held in a segregated account controlled by the city's finance officer and court clerk, spent only with direction from the mayor or city administrator. - Section 1(c) limits when the fee can be assessed, excluding dismissed or nolle prossed cases and making clear it is an addition to existing fines. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-11) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11) - Sponsors: Mary Ann Santos, Noelle Kahaian - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74186 > The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1569.md?full=1