SB 317: Magistrate Court of Clinch County; assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize

This bill authorizes the governing authority of Clinch County to adopt a resolution letting the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Clinch County charge a technology fee of up to $5.00. The fee could be assessed on every civil action filed, every estate filed, each conviction, as a surcharge on each fine, and on each affidavit filed except affidavits of indigency. The fee can only be charged once per party per case. The money collected must be used only for the court's technological needs, such as computer hardware and software, equipment maintenance, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records. The clerk must remit the funds monthly to the county governing authority, which must keep them in a separate account (or a joint account with the probate court's technology fee if the two courts share a judge) and have the account audited annually.

• Authorizes Clinch County's governing authority to pass a resolution allowing a technology fee of up to $5.00 on magistrate court civil filings, estate filings, convictions, fines, and most affidavit filings.
• Limits the fee to being charged only once per party within any single action or proceeding.
• Restricts use of the collected funds to specific technology purposes: hardware, software, equipment leasing and maintenance, and digitizing court records.
• Requires the clerk to remit collected fees monthly to the county governing authority for deposit in a segregated account.
• Allows the magistrate court fee account to be combined with the probate court technology fee account if the two courts share a consolidated judge.
• Requires the county governing authority to audit the technology fee account annually.

People filing civil actions, estate cases, or affidavits in the Magistrate Court of Clinch County, defendants convicted in that court, the clerk of the magistrate court who collects the fee, and the Clinch County governing authority, which sets the fee amount and manages the funds.

People using the Clinch County magistrate court for lawsuits, estate filings, or facing fines could pay up to $5.00 more per case. In exchange, the county would gain a dedicated funding source for computer systems, digital record-keeping, and other technology upgrades in that court.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the county governing authority to set, by resolution, a technology fee not exceeding $5.00 on specified filings, convictions, and fines, capped at once per party per case.
• Section 1(a) excludes affidavits of indigency from the fee and lists the four permitted uses of the money, limited to computer and imaging equipment, software, and digitizing records.
• Section 1(b) requires the clerk to remit fees monthly to the county, requires a segregated account (or joint account with probate court fees under consolidated judgeships), and requires an annual audit.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 607
3. 2026-05-11Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2026-02-06House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2026-02-06House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-02-06House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-03-13House Second Readers (House)

• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)Primary sponsor
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 10, 2025

   43 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 9 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #221

2. PassedHouse voteFebruary 6, 2026

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

   Local Calendar : House Vote #480

• court fees
• Clinch County
• magistrate court
• local government
• court technology