---
title: HB 937. Berrien County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb937
cite_as: HB 937, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb937
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb937.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb937/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72135
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
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/hb936.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb938.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 884
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb937.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 937
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Jaclyn Ford
  - Angie O'Steen
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB937/2025
upstream_id: 2071975
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - court fees
  - Berrien County
  - magistrate court
  - local government
  - court technology
---

# HB 937. Berrien County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

House Bill 937 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Ford of the 170th and O’Steen of the 169th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of
Berrien County; to identify the authorized uses of such technology fee; to provide for the
termination of such technology fee and dedication of residual funds; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
(a) The clerk of the Magistrate Court of Berrien County is hereby authorized to charge and
collect a technology fee to be set by the chief magistrate in an amount not to exceed $5.00
for the filing of each civil action with the court and not to exceed $5.00 as a surcharge upon
each fine assessed by the court. Such technology fees shall be used exclusively to provide
for technological needs of the Magistrate Court of Berrien County. Such uses shall include
only the following:
(1) Computer hardware, software, and accessory purchases;
(2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware;
(3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,
communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and
(4) Procurement of services or equipment for the conversion of court records and
archives to digital content for public access.
(b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by
the clerk of the magistrate court and shall be used only for the purposes authorized in this
section.
(c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to this Act shall terminate on
July 1, 2036, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)
of this section shall remain dedicated to general Berrien County technology uses.
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## 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 937 would let the Magistrate Court of Berrien 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 2036.

### Plain-language summary

This bill applies only to Berrien County. It authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court there to charge a technology fee, set by the chief magistrate, of up to $5.00 for each civil case filed and up to $5.00 as an added charge on each fine the court assesses. The money can only be spent on the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining imaging and printing equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files.
The funds must be kept in a separate account managed by the court clerk and cannot be used for anything else. The bill sets an end date: the authority to collect this fee stops on July 1, 2036. Any money still left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general technology uses for Berrien County rather than being refunded or spent elsewhere.

### What it does

- Authorizes the Magistrate Court of Berrien County to charge up to $5.00 on each civil filing and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine.
- Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology purposes, including computer hardware and software, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account controlled by the court clerk, used only for the authorized purposes.
- Sets July 1, 2036 as the date the fee authority ends, with any leftover money staying dedicated to Berrien County technology uses.
- Repeals any prior state or local laws that conflict with this new authority.

### Who it affects

People who file civil cases in the Magistrate Court of Berrien County, people who are fined by that court, the court's clerk who collects and manages the fee, and Berrien County government, which retains any leftover technology funds after 2036.

### Why it matters

Georgians who file civil suits or are fined in Berrien County's magistrate court would pay a small added cost, up to $10 combined in some cases, specifically earmarked to modernize the court's technology and digitize its records rather than going into 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 per fine surcharge, set by the chief magistrate, and lists four allowed technology uses for the money.
- Section 1(b) requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account by the court clerk and spent only on the authorized purposes.
- Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2036 and dedicates any remaining balance to general Berrien County technology uses.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Jaclyn Ford, Angie O'Steen
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72135

> The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb937.md?full=1