HB 939: Tift County; State Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill authorizes the clerk of the State Court of Tift County to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the state court judge, of up to $5.00 for each civil case filed and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses. The money can only be spent on specific technology needs: buying computer hardware, software, and accessories, leasing and maintaining computer equipment, buying or leasing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment, and paying for services to convert court records into digital files the public can access. The fee money must be kept in a separate account managed by the clerk, and it is subject to audit by an auditor approved by Tift County's governing authority. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2035, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Tift County technology uses.

• Authorizes the clerk of the State Court of Tift 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 the court assesses, also capped at $5.00.
• Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records for public access.
• Requires the fee money to be kept in a segregated account subject to audit by a county-approved auditor.
• Sets the fee's authority to expire on July 1, 2035, with leftover funds staying dedicated to Tift County technology uses.

People who file civil lawsuits in the State Court of Tift County and people who are fined by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. It also affects the court clerk's office, which collects and manages the funds, and Tift County's governing authority, which approves the required audits.

Georgians who file civil cases or pay fines in Tift County's state court would pay a small additional fee, generating dedicated funding for court technology like computer equipment and digitized records, rather than relying on the county's general budget for those upgrades.

• Section 1(a) sets the fee amount at not more than $5.00 per civil filing and not more than $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine, with the judge setting the exact amount.
• Section 1(a) limits fee spending to four categories: computer hardware/software purchases, hardware lease and maintenance, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Section 1(b) requires the funds to be kept in a segregated account subject to audit by a county-approved auditor.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2035 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Tift County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 528
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-17Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-17Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-06House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Jaclyn Ford (R, HD-170)Primary sponsor
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 6, 2026

   163 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #480

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 17, 2026

   48 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #548

• court fees
• Tift County
• state courts
• local legislation
• court technology