--- title: HB 33. Cook County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb33 cite_as: HB 33, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb33 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb33.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb33/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69313 date: 2025-04-30 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hb32.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb34.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 880 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb33.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 33 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-04-30 last_action: Effective Date 2025-04-30 sponsors: - Charles Cannon - Jaclyn Ford text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB33/2025 upstream_id: 1916814 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - court fees - Cook County - Magistrate Court - local government funding - court technology --- # HB 33. Cook County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee ## Text 25 LC 47 3145/AP House Bill 33 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Cannon of the 172nd and Ford of the 170th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of1 Cook County; to ide ntify the authorized uses of such technology fee; to provide for the2 termination of such technology fee and dedication of residual funds; to provide for related3 matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 (a) The clerk of the Magistrate Court of Cook County is hereby authorized to charge and7 collect a technology fee to be set by the chief magistrate in an amount not to exceed $5.008 for the filing of each civil action with the court. Such techn ology fees shall be used9 exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Magistrat e Court of Cook County. 10 Such uses shall include only the following:11 (1) Computer hardware and software purchases;12 (2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware; and13 (3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,14 communications, projection, and printing equipment and software.15 H. B. 33 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3145/AP (b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by16 the clerk of the magistrate court, subject to audit by an audit or approved by the governing17 authority of Cook County, and shall be used only for the purposes authorized in this section.18 (c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to thi s Act shall terminate on19 July 1, 2030, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)20 of this section shall remain dedicated to general Cook County t echnology uses; provided,21 however, that, if the Magistrate Court of Cook County determine s there to be a surplus of22 such funds, the chief magistrate of said court may declare a surplus once a year and transfer23 such surplus to the governing authority of Cook County.24 SECTION 2.25 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.26 H. B. 33 - 2 - ## 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. House Bill 33 lets the Magistrate Court of Cook County charge up to a $5 technology fee on each civil case filed, with the money earmarked for court computer and equipment needs through mid-2030. ### Plain-language summary This local bill applies only to Cook County. It authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court there to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the chief magistrate, of up to $5.00 for every civil action filed with the court. The money can only be spent on the court's technology needs: buying computer hardware and software, leasing or maintaining computer hardware, and purchasing, leasing, maintaining, or installing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment and software. The funds must be kept in a separate account managed by the court clerk and are subject to audit by the county's governing authority. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2030. Any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Cook County technology uses, though the chief magistrate may declare a surplus once a year and transfer it to the county's governing authority. ### What it does - Authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Cook County to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil case filed. - Limits use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases: computer hardware and software, and imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment. - Requires the fee money to be kept in a separate account subject to audit by Cook County's governing authority. - Sets July 1, 2030 as the end date for the court's authority to collect the fee. - Directs that leftover funds after termination stay dedicated to Cook County technology uses, unless the chief magistrate declares a surplus and transfers it to the county once a year. ### Who it affects People who file civil lawsuits in the Magistrate Court of Cook County, Georgia, who would pay the new fee; the court clerk, who collects and accounts for the money; and the chief magistrate and Cook County's governing authority, who oversee how the funds are used and audited. ### Why it matters Anyone filing a civil case in Cook County's Magistrate Court would pay a small additional fee, funding court technology like computers and scanning equipment rather than relying solely on the county budget. The arrangement is temporary, ending in 2030 unless further legislative action extends it. ### Key provisions - Section 1(a) sets the technology fee at not more than $5.00 per civil filing, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate, and lists the only allowed uses of the money. - Section 1(b) requires the fee revenue to be held in a segregated account managed by the clerk and subject to audit by Cook County's governing authority. - Section 1(c) terminates the fee-collection authority on July 1, 2030 and dedicates any leftover funds to general Cook County technology uses, with an option for the chief magistrate to declare an annual surplus and transfer it to the county. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-30) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-04-30 (2025-04-30) - Sponsors: Charles Cannon, Jaclyn Ford - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69313 > The history, votes, and amendments (880 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb33.md?full=1