--- title: HB 781. Crawford County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb781 cite_as: HB 781, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb781 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb781.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb781/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71403 date: 2025-05-13 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/hb780.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb782.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 885 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb781.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 781 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 sponsors: - Robert Dickey text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB781/2025 upstream_id: 2010591 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - court fees - Crawford County - magistrate court - local government funding --- # HB 781. Crawford County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee ## Text 25 LC 47 3559/AP House Bill 781 (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 Crawford County; to identify 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 Crawford 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 Crawford 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. 781 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3559/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 Crawford County technology uses.24 SECTION 2.25 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.26 H. B. 781 - 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 781 lets the Magistrate Court of Crawford County charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil filings and fines to pay for court computer and digital record equipment, ending in 2035. ### Plain-language summary Crawford County's magistrate court currently has no dedicated fee to pay for its technology needs. This bill authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Crawford County to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the chief magistrate, of up to $5.00 for each civil case filed and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court imposes. The money collected can only be used for specific technology purposes: buying computer hardware and software, leasing and maintaining computer equipment, purchasing imaging and communications equipment, and converting court records to digital form. The funds must be kept in a separate account and used only for these purposes. The authority to collect the fee ends on July 1, 2035, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Crawford County technology uses. ### What it does - Authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Crawford County to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil case filed with the court. - Authorizes an additional surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine assessed by the Magistrate Court of Crawford County. - Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology needs, including computer hardware and software, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records. - Requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account maintained by the clerk, separate from other court funds. - Sets July 1, 2035 as the date the fee authority ends, with any leftover money staying dedicated to Crawford County technology uses. ### Who it affects People who file civil lawsuits in the Magistrate Court of Crawford County and people who are fined by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. The court clerk and Crawford County government are also affected, as they manage and benefit from the collected funds. ### Why it matters Anyone filing a civil case or paying a court fine in Crawford County's magistrate court would pay up to $10 more in combined fees. The money is meant to fund court technology upgrades like digitizing records, rather than coming from the county's general budget. ### 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 chief magistrate setting the exact amount. - Section 1(a) lists the only permitted uses of the fee, including computer hardware/software, equipment leasing and maintenance, and digitizing court records for public access. - Section 1(b) requires the fees to be held in a segregated account and used only for the authorized technology purposes. - Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2035, and directs any remaining funds toward general Crawford County technology uses. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Robert Dickey - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71403 > The history, votes, and amendments (885 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb781.md?full=1