--- title: SB 344. Probate Court of Crawford County; assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb344 cite_as: SB 344, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb344 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb344.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb344/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71478 date: 2025-04-30 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/sb343.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb345.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 889 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb344.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 344 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-04-30 last_action: Effective Date 2025-04-30 sponsors: - John Kennedy - Robert Dickey text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB344/2025 upstream_id: 2011451 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - court fees - Crawford County - probate court - local government technology --- # SB 344. Probate Court of Crawford County; assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize ## Text 25 LC 62 0173 Senate Bill 344 By: Senator Kennedy of the 18th AS PASSED A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Probate Court of1 Crawford County; to identify the authorized uses of such technology fee; to provide for the2 termination of such technology fee and dedication of residual funds; to provide for related3 matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 (a) The clerk of the Probate Court of Crawford County is hereby authorized to charge and7 collect a technology fee to be set by the judge of the probate court in an amount not to8 exceed $5.00 for the filing of each civil action with the court and not to exceed $5.00 as a9 surcharge upon each fine assessed by the court. Such technolog y fees shall be used10 exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Probate C ourt of Crawford County. 11 Such uses shall include only the following:12 (1) Computer hardware, software, and accessory purchases;13 (2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware; 14 (3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,15 communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and16 S. B. 344 - 1 - 25 LC 62 0173 (4) Procurement of services or equipment for the conversion of court records and17 archives to digital content for public access.18 (b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by19 the clerk of the probate court and shall be used only for the p urposes authorized in this20 section.21 (c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to thi s Act shall terminate on22 July 1, 2035, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)23 of this section shall remain dedicated to general Crawford County technology uses.24 SECTION 2.25 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.26 S. B. 344 - 2 - ## 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 Georgia Senate bill lets the Probate Court of Crawford County charge a technology fee of up to $5 on court filings and fines to pay for court computer and digital record equipment. ### Plain-language summary This bill authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Crawford County to charge a technology fee, set by the probate judge, of no more than $5 for each civil case filed and up to $5 as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses. The money can only go toward the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining imaging and printing equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files for public access. The fees must be kept in a separate account and used only for these approved purposes. The authority to collect the fee ends on July 1, 2035, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Crawford County technology uses. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws. ### What it does - Authorizes the Probate Court of Crawford County's clerk to charge up to $5 per civil filing as a technology fee. - Allows a separate surcharge of up to $5 on each fine assessed by the court, also dedicated to technology needs. - Limits use of the collected fees to specific technology purposes: computer equipment, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records. - Requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account managed by the clerk of the probate court. - Sets the fee authority to expire on July 1, 2035, with leftover funds redirected to general Crawford County technology uses. ### Who it affects People who file civil actions in the Probate Court of Crawford County or who are fined by that court, as well as the court's clerk and judge, who set and manage the fee, and Crawford County government, which benefits from any leftover technology funds after 2035. ### Why it matters Anyone filing a case or paying a fine in Crawford County's probate court would pay a small added fee, funding upgrades like digital record storage and modern office equipment. The fee is capped and time-limited, and its use is restricted to specific technology purchases rather than general county spending. ### Key provisions - Section 1(a) sets the technology fee at up to $5.00 per civil filing and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine, with the amount set by the probate judge. - Section 1(a) restricts fee use to computer hardware and software, equipment leasing and maintenance, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records. - Section 1(b) requires the funds to be held in a segregated account used only for the authorized technology purposes. - Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2035, with any remaining funds dedicated to general Crawford County technology uses. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-30) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-04-30 (2025-04-30) - Sponsors: John Kennedy, Robert Dickey - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71478 > The history, votes, and amendments (889 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb344.md?full=1