---
title: HB 941. Tift County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb941
cite_as: HB 941, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb941
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb941.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb941/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72139
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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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb940.md
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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/hb941.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 941
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/HB941/2025
upstream_id: 2072002
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Tift County government
  - probate court fees
  - local court funding
  - court technology
---

# HB 941. Tift County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

House Bill 941 (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 Probate 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 Probate Court of Tift County is hereby authorized to charge and collect
a technology fee to be set by the judge of the probate 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 Probate 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 probate 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, 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 Probate Court of Tift County charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil filings and up to $5 on fines, with the fee ending in 2036.

### Plain-language summary

This bill applies only to Tift County. It authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Tift County to charge a technology fee, set by the probate judge, of no more than $5 for filing each civil action and no more than $5 as a surcharge added to any fine the court imposes.
The money collected must be kept in a separate account, audited by an auditor approved by Tift County's governing authority, and can only be spent on the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, imaging and printing equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2036, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Tift County technology purposes.

### What it does

- Authorizes the Tift County Probate Court clerk to charge a technology fee of up to $5 per civil filing.
- Authorizes an additional surcharge of up to $5 on each fine assessed by the Tift County Probate Court.
- Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records.
- Requires the fee revenue to be kept in a separate, audited account controlled by the probate court clerk.
- Sets July 1, 2036 as the date the fee authority ends, with leftover funds going to general Tift County technology uses.

### Who it affects

People who file civil actions in the Tift County Probate Court and people who are fined by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. It also affects the probate court clerk, the probate judge, and Tift County's governing authority, which oversees the required audits.

### Why it matters

Anyone filing a civil case or paying a fine through the Tift County Probate Court would pay a small added cost, capped at $5 per fee type. In exchange, the court gains a dedicated funding source for computers, digital record-keeping, and other equipment upgrades.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) sets the fee amounts, capping each at $5.00, and lists the four allowed technology uses: hardware and software purchases, equipment leasing and maintenance, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Section 1(b) requires the fee money to be held in a segregated account and audited by an auditor approved by Tift County's governing authority.
- Section 1(c) ends the fee authority on July 1, 2036 and directs any remaining balance toward general Tift County technology uses.
- Section 2 repeals any existing laws that conflict with this Act.

## 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/72139

> The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb941.md?full=1