--- title: HB 790. Macon County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb790 cite_as: HB 790, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb790 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb790.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb790/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71412 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/hb789.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb791.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 884 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb790.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 790 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: - Patty Stinson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB790/2025 upstream_id: 2010581 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - court fees - Macon County - probate court - local government funding --- # HB 790. Macon County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee ## Text 25 LC 47 3504/AP House Bill 790 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representative Stinson of the 150th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Probate Court of1 Macon 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 Probate Court of Macon County is hereby a uthorized to charge and7 collect a technology fee to be set by the judge of the probate court in an amount not to8 exceed $5.00 for the filing of each civil action with the court and not to exceed $5.00 as a9 surcharge upon each fine assessed by the court. Such technolog y fees shall be used10 exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Probate Court of Macon County. Such11 uses shall include 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. 790 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3504/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 probate court and shall be used only for the p urposes 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 Macon County technology uses.24 SECTION 2.25 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.26 H. B. 790 - 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 790 lets the Probate Court of Macon County charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil filings and up to $5 as a surcharge on fines, with the authority to collect it ending in 2035. ### Plain-language summary This bill authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Macon County to charge a new technology fee. The judge sets the exact amount, but it cannot exceed $5.00 for filing each civil action and cannot exceed $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court imposes. The money collected must be kept in a separate account and can only be spent on specific technology needs of the probate court, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing imaging and communications equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files. The bill sets July 1, 2035 as the date the court's authority to collect this fee ends. Any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Macon County technology uses rather than being refunded or spent elsewhere. ### What it does - Authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Macon County to charge and collect a technology fee, with the amount set by the probate judge. - Caps the fee at $5.00 per civil filing and $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine assessed by the court. - Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records. - Requires the collected funds to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized technology purposes. - Ends the court's authority to collect the fee on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any leftover funds to general Macon County technology uses. ### Who it affects People filing civil actions in the Probate Court of Macon County and people who have fines assessed by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. The court clerk and judge, who set and administer the fee, are also directly affected. ### Why it matters Residents and litigants using Macon County's probate court would pay a small added cost when filing civil cases or paying court fines, while the court gains a dedicated funding source for computers, digital record-keeping, and related equipment through 2035. ### Key provisions - Section 1(a) authorizes the fee, capping it at $5.00 for each civil filing and $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine, with the exact amount set by the probate judge. - Section 1(a) limits fee spending to four categories: computer hardware/software purchases, hardware lease/maintenance/installation, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records. - Section 1(b) requires the clerk to keep collected fees in a segregated account used only for the authorized purposes. - Section 1(c) terminates the fee-collection authority on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Macon 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: Patty Stinson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71412 > The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb790.md?full=1