---
title: HB 938. Tift County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb938
cite_as: HB 938, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb938
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb938.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb938/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72136
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.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 884
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb938.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 938
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/HB938/2025
upstream_id: 2071942
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Tift County
  - magistrate court fees
  - local court technology
  - court filing fees
---

# HB 938. Tift County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

House Bill 938 (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
Tift 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 Tift 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 Tift 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 Tift 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.

A House bill would let the Magistrate Court of Tift County charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil case filings and up to $5 as a surcharge on fines, with the money set aside for court technology through July 1, 2036.

### Plain-language summary

This bill applies only to Tift County. It authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Tift County, at an amount set by the chief magistrate, to charge up to $5.00 for filing each civil action and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court imposes.
The money collected can only be used for specific technology needs: buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing that equipment, buying or leasing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection and printing equipment, and converting court records to digital files for public access. The funds must be kept in a separate account and spent only on those purposes. The authority to charge this fee ends on July 1, 2036, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Tift County technology uses.

### What it does

- Authorizes the Magistrate Court of Tift County to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil case filing.
- Authorizes a surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine assessed by the court, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate.
- Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records for public access.
- Requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account managed by the court clerk, separate from other county funds.
- Sets July 1, 2036 as the date the fee authority ends, with any leftover money staying dedicated to general Tift County technology uses.

### Who it affects

People who file civil lawsuits in the Magistrate Court of Tift County and people who are fined by that court would pay the new fee. The court clerk and chief magistrate would administer it, and Tift County's technology budget would benefit from the funds.

### Why it matters

Civil litigants and people fined in Tift County's Magistrate Court would pay a small additional cost, up to $10 combined in some cases, that would fund the court's computer systems, records digitization, and related equipment rather than coming from the county's general budget.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) sets the fee structure: up to $5.00 per civil filing and up to $5.00 as a fine surcharge, with the chief magistrate setting the exact amount.
- Section 1(a) lists the only permitted uses: computer hardware/software, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Section 1(b) requires the funds to be kept in a segregated account and spent only for the authorized purposes.
- Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2036 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Tift 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/72136

> The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb938.md?full=1