--- title: HB 837. Richmond County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb837 cite_as: HB 837, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb837 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb837.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb837/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71639 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/hb836.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb838.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 919 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb837.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 837 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: - L.C. Myles - Karlton Howard - Lynn Heffner - Brian Prince - Mark Newton text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB837/2025 upstream_id: 2014695 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - court fees - Richmond County - probate court - local legislation - court technology --- # HB 837. Richmond County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee ## Text 25 LC 47 3533/AP House Bill 837 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Myles of the 126th, Howard of the 129th, Heffner of the 130th, Prince of the 132nd, and Newton of the 127th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Probate Court of1 Richmond 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 Probate Court of Richmond County is hereby authorized to charge and7 collect a technology fee to be set by the judge of the probate court in an amount not to8 exceed $10.00 for the filing of each civil action with the court. Such technology fees shall9 be used exclusively to provide for technological needs of the P robate Court of Richmond10 County. Such uses shall include only the following:11 (1) Computer hardware and software purchases;12 (2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware and software;13 (3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,14 communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and15 H. B. 837 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3533/AP (4) Procurement of services and equipment for the conservation of court records and16 archiving the same to digital contents for public access.17 (b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by18 the clerk of the probate court and shall be used only for the p urposes authorized in this19 section.20 (c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to thi s Act shall terminate on21 July 1, 2035, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)22 of this section shall remain dedicated to general Richmond County technology uses.23 SECTION 2.24 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.25 H. B. 837 - 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. A House bill would let the Probate Court of Richmond County charge up to $10 per civil filing as a technology fee to pay for computer and records equipment, with the authority ending in 2035. ### Plain-language summary This bill authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Richmond County to charge and collect a technology fee, capped at $10.00, on each civil action filed with the court. The money must go into a separate account and can only be spent on specific technology needs: buying computer hardware and software, leasing and maintaining that equipment, buying or leasing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment, and paying for services to preserve and digitize court records for public access. The judge of the probate court sets the exact fee amount, up to the $10 cap. The law authorizing this fee ends on July 1, 2035. Any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Richmond County technology purposes rather than being returned or spent elsewhere. ### What it does - Authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Richmond County to charge a technology fee of up to $10.00 on each civil action filed with the court. - Restricts use of the fee money to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and records digitization for the probate court. - Requires the fee revenue to be kept in a separate, segregated account managed by the clerk of the probate court. - Sets the fee authority to expire on July 1, 2035, after which leftover funds stay dedicated to Richmond County technology uses. - Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new fee authorization. ### Who it affects People and businesses who file civil actions in the Probate Court of Richmond County, the court's clerk and judge, who set and collect the fee, and Richmond County government, which benefits from the technology funding and any leftover money after 2035. ### Why it matters Anyone filing a civil case in Richmond County's probate court would pay up to an extra $10.00, money the court could use to upgrade computers, scanners, and record-keeping systems. The fee is not open ended: it is capped, restricted to specific uses, and set to expire in 2035. ### Key provisions - Section 1(a) authorizes the clerk to charge a technology fee, set by the probate judge, not to exceed $10.00 per civil action filed. - Section 1(a) lists the only allowed uses: computer hardware and software, related equipment leasing and maintenance, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records. - Section 1(b) requires the fee revenue 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 Richmond County technology uses. - Section 2 repeals conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: L.C. Myles, Karlton Howard, Lynn Heffner, Brian Prince, Mark Newton - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71639 > The history, votes, and amendments (919 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb837.md?full=1