---
title: HB 939. Tift County; State Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb939
cite_as: HB 939, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb939
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb939.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb939/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72137
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/hb938.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb940.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 884
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb939.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 939
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/HB939/2025
upstream_id: 2071965
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - court fees
  - Tift County
  - state courts
  - local legislation
  - court technology
---

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

## Text

House Bill 939 (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 State 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 State Court of Tift County is hereby authorized to charge and collect a
technology fee to be set by the judge of the state court 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 State 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 state court, subject to audit by an auditor approved by the governing authority
of Tift County, 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, 2035, 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.

House Bill 939 would let the State Court of Tift County charge up to $5 on civil filings and up to $5 on fines to pay for court technology, with the fee ending in 2035.

### Plain-language summary

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.

### What it does

- 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.

### Who it affects

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.

### Why it matters

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.

### Key provisions

- 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.

## 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/72137

> The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb939.md?full=1