--- title: HB 701. Terrell County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb701 cite_as: HB 701, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb701 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb701.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb701/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71068 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/hb700.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb702.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 883 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb701.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 701 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: - Mike Cheokas text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB701/2025 upstream_id: 1990356 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - court fees - Terrell County - probate court - local government funding --- # HB 701. Terrell County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee ## Text 25 LC 47 3431/AP House Bill 701 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representative Cheokas of the 151st A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Probate Court of1 Terrell County; to authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee when the2 judge of such court is serving as the judge of the Magistrate C ourt of Terrell County; to3 identify the authorized uses of such technology fee; to provide for the termination of such4 technology fee and dedication of residual funds; to provide for related matters; to repeal5 conflicting laws; and for other purposes.6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:7 SECTION 1.8 (a)(1) The clerk of the Probate Court of Terrell County is her eby authorized to charge9 and collect a technology fee to be set by the judge of the probate court in an amount not10 to exceed $5.00 for the filing of each civil action with the pr obate court and not to11 exceed $5.00 as a surcharge upon each criminal fine assessed by the probate court.12 (2) The clerk of the Probate Court of Terrell County is hereby authorized to charge and13 collect a technology fee to be set by the judge of the probate court in an amount not to14 exceed $5.00 for the filing of each civil action with the magis trate court and not to15 exceed $5.00 as a surcharge upon each criminal fine assessed by the magistrate court.16 H. B. 701 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3431/AP (3) The technology fees collected pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection17 shall be used exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Probate Court of18 Terrell County. Such uses shall include only the following:19 (A) Computer hardware, software, and accessory purchases;20 (B) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware and software;21 (C) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of audio-visual, imaging, scanning,22 facsimile, communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and23 (D) Procurement of services or equipment for the conversion of court records and24 archives to digital content for public access.25 (b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by26 the clerk of the probate court, subject to audit by an auditor approved by the governing27 authority of Terrell County, and shall be used only for the purposes authorized in this section.28 (c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to thi s Act shall terminate on29 July 1, 2035, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)30 of this section shall remain dedicated to general Terrell County technology uses.31 SECTION 2.32 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.33 H. B. 701 - 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 701 lets the Probate Court of Terrell County charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil filings and criminal fines, including cases where the judge also handles Magistrate Court duties, with the authority ending in 2035. ### Plain-language summary This bill authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Terrell County to charge and collect a technology fee, capped at $5.00, on each civil case filed with the probate court and as a surcharge of up to $5.00 on each criminal fine the court assesses. Because the probate judge in Terrell County also serves as the Magistrate Court judge, the bill extends the same authority to fees collected through magistrate court filings and fines. The money collected can only be spent on specific technology needs: buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing audio-visual and imaging equipment, and digitizing court records for public access. The funds must be kept in a separate account that the county government can audit. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2035, and any money left over at that point stays dedicated to general Terrell County technology purposes. ### What it does - Authorizes the Probate Court of Terrell County to charge up to $5.00 on each civil filing and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each criminal fine. - Extends the same fee authority to filings and fines in Terrell County's Magistrate Court because the probate judge also serves as magistrate judge. - Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitization of court records. - Requires the fees to be kept in a segregated, county-auditable account separate from other court funds. - Sets a termination date of July 1, 2035 for the fee authority and directs leftover funds to general Terrell County technology uses. ### Who it affects People filing civil cases or paying criminal fines in the Probate Court or Magistrate Court of Terrell County, the clerk and judge of those courts who set and collect the fee, and the Terrell County government, which audits the segregated fee account. ### Why it matters Georgians who file cases or pay fines in Terrell County's probate or magistrate courts could pay an extra $5.00 per transaction, money that would fund court technology like scanning, digital record-keeping, and communications equipment rather than general county spending, with the fee authority automatically expiring in 2035. ### Key provisions - Section 1(a)(1) sets a $5.00 cap on a technology fee for each civil filing and a $5.00 cap on a surcharge per criminal fine in the Probate Court of Terrell County. - Section 1(a)(2) applies the same $5.00 caps to filings and fines in the Magistrate Court of Terrell County when the probate judge presides there. - Section 1(a)(3) lists the only permitted uses of the fee: computer hardware and software, equipment leasing and maintenance, audio-visual and imaging equipment, and digitizing court records. - Section 1(b) requires the fees to be held in a segregated account subject to audit by a county-approved auditor. - Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Terrell County technology uses. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-30) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-04-30 (2025-04-30) - Sponsors: Mike Cheokas - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71068 > The history, votes, and amendments (883 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb701.md?full=1