HB 603: Banks County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This local bill applies only to Banks County. It authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Banks County to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the probate judge, of no more than $5.00 for each civil action filed with the court and no more than $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses. The money can only be spent on the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining imaging and printing equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files. The funds must be kept in a separate account used only for those purposes. The court's authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2035, and any money left in the account at that point would stay dedicated to general Banks County technology uses.

• Authorizes the Probate Court of Banks County clerk to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil filing.
• Authorizes an additional technology surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine the court assesses.
• Restricts use of the fee money to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records.
• Requires the fee money to be kept in a separate, segregated account used only for these authorized purposes.
• Sets July 1, 2035 as the date the fee authority ends, with leftover funds going to general Banks County technology uses.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new fee authorization.

People who file civil cases in the Probate Court of Banks County, people who are fined by that court, the probate court clerk who collects and manages the fee, and Banks County government, which benefits from the technology funding.

Anyone filing a civil case or paying a fine in Banks County's probate court would pay a small added fee, up to $10 combined, funding computer and digital record-keeping upgrades for that specific court until the authority expires in 2035.

• Section 1(a) sets the fee amounts (up to $5.00 per civil filing and up to $5.00 per fine) and lists the four allowed technology uses for the money.
• Section 1(b) requires the collected funds to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized technology purposes.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2035 and directs any leftover funds toward general Banks County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 154
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-13Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-13Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-04House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Chris Erwin (R, HD-32)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   172 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 2 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #148

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 13, 2025

   48 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 4 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #229

• court fees
• Banks County
• probate court
• local government funding