---
title: HB 778. Upson County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb778
cite_as: HB 778, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb778
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb778.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb778/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71400
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 897
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb778.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 778
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:
  - Robert Dickey
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB778/2025
upstream_id: 2010534
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Upson County
  - magistrate court fees
  - court technology
  - local legislation
---

# HB 778. Upson County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

25 LC 47 3554/AP
House Bill 778 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representative Dickey of the 134th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of1
Upson County; to identify the authorized uses of such technolog y 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 Upson 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 and not to exceed $5.00 as a surcharge upon9
each fine assessed by the court. Such technology fees shall be used exclusively to provide10
for technological needs of the Magistrate Court of Upson County. Such uses shall include11
only the following:12
(1) Computer hardware, software, and accessory purchases;13
(2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware; 14
(3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,15
communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and16
H. B. 778
- 1 -
25 LC 47 3554/AP
(4) Procurement of services or equipment for the conversion of court records and archives17
to digital content for public access.18
(b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by19
the clerk of the magistrate court and shall be used only for th e purposes authorized in this20
section.21
(c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to thi s Act shall terminate on22
July 1, 2035, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)23
of this section shall remain dedicated to general Upson County technology uses.24
SECTION 2.25
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.26
H. B. 778
- 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 778 lets the Magistrate Court of Upson County charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil case filings and up to $5 on fines, with the fee authority ending in 2035.

### Plain-language summary

This bill authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Upson County to charge a technology fee, set by the chief magistrate, of up to $5 for filing each civil action and up to $5 as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses. The money collected can only be used for specific technology needs of the court, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining imaging and printing equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files for public access.
The funds must be kept in a separate account and spent only on these approved purposes. The authority to collect the fee ends on July 1, 2035. Any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general technology uses for Upson County rather than being refunded or spent elsewhere.

### What it does

- Authorizes the Magistrate Court of Upson County's clerk to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil case filing.
- Authorizes an additional surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine assessed by the court, also capped at $5.00.
- Restricts use of the fee money to specific technology purposes: computer hardware and software, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Requires the collected fees to be kept in a segregated account managed by the court clerk.
- Sets July 1, 2035 as the date the fee authority ends, with leftover funds staying dedicated to Upson County technology uses.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these new provisions.

### Who it affects

People filing civil lawsuits in the Magistrate Court of Upson County, individuals who are fined by that court, the court's clerk and chief magistrate who administer the fee, and Upson County's local government, which benefits from the technology funding.

### Why it matters

Anyone filing a civil case or paying a fine in Upson County's Magistrate Court would pay a small additional fee, up to $10 combined, that funds court technology like digital record-keeping and equipment rather than going to the county's general budget, with the arrangement expiring in a decade.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) sets the fee amounts: up to $5.00 per civil filing and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate.
- Section 1(a) lists the only allowed uses: computer hardware and software purchases, hardware lease and maintenance, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records for public access.
- Section 1(b) requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized purposes.
- Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Upson County technology uses.
- Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2025-04-30)
- Last action: Effective Date 2025-04-30 (2025-04-30)
- Sponsors: Robert Dickey
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71400

> The history, votes, and amendments (897 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb778.md?full=1