Georgia CommonsSB 489: Board of Commissioners of the Judges of the Probate Courts Retirement Fund of Georgia; allow to set monthly dues
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-07-01
A Georgia Senate bill would let the board that runs the Judges of the Probate Courts Retirement Fund set monthly dues between $105 and $150, and would raise several court fees that fund it, starting July 1, 2026.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Currently, probate court judges and certain fund employees pay a fixed $105 a month into the Judges of the Probate Courts Retirement Fund of Georgia. This bill changes that flat amount into a range: the fund's Board of Commissioners could set monthly dues anywhere from $105 to $150, adjusting the rate each year. Dues would still stop after a member has paid into the fund for 30 years, and whatever rate the board picks must apply the same to every member. The board would have to base its dues decision on its actuary's recommendation, on keeping the fund financially sound under existing state funding standards, and on any other factors it finds relevant. To help support the fund, the bill also raises several fees probate courts already collect: the share of marriage license fees sent to the fund rises from 20 percent to 25 percent, the civil filing fee contribution rises from $2 to $5, and the fee collected on criminal fines and forfeited bonds rises from $3 to $5. These changes take effect July 1, 2026.
What the bill does
- Lets the fund's Board of Commissioners set monthly member dues anywhere between $105 and $150 instead of a fixed $105, adjusted annually.
- Requires the board to base dues on its actuary's recommendation, the fund's financial soundness, and other relevant factors.
- Keeps the existing rule that members stop paying dues after 30 years and requires dues to apply the same to every member.
- Raises the share of marriage license fees sent to the retirement fund from 20 percent to 25 percent.
- Increases the portion of each civil filing fee that goes to the fund from $2 to $5.
- Increases the fee collected on criminal fines and forfeited bonds in probate court from $3 to $5.
Who it affects
Probate court judges across Georgia and employees of the retirement fund's board, who pay the monthly dues; people applying for marriage licenses; people filing civil cases in probate court; and people who have fines or bond forfeitures processed through probate court, since the fee increases are paid on those transactions.
Why it matters
Probate judges and fund employees could see their required monthly retirement contribution rise by as much as $45, while Georgians using probate courts for marriage licenses, civil filings, or paying fines would pay slightly higher fees, with the added money used to keep the judges' retirement fund financially stable.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new subsection to O.C.G.A. § 47-11-22 letting the board set monthly dues between $105 and $150, reviewed annually, effective July 1, 2026.
- Section 1 requires the dues amount to be based on actuarial recommendations, the fund's financial soundness standards, and other relevant factors, and to apply uniformly to all members.
- Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 47-11-40 to replace the fixed $105 monthly dues requirement with payment at whatever rate the board currently has set.
- Section 3 raises the marriage license fee share paid to the fund from 20 percent to 25 percent under O.C.G.A. § 47-11-50.
- Section 3 raises the civil filing fee contribution to the fund from $2 to $5 per filing.
- Section 4 raises the fee collected on criminal fines and forfeited bonds in probate court from $3 to $5 under O.C.G.A. § 47-11-51.
From the bill
“each member shall pay monthly dues into the fund in an amount to be determined annually by the board that shall be at least $105.00 but shall not exceed $150.00”
“The requirement for the payment of monthly dues shall cease after a member has paid such dues for a period of 30 years.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-07-01
- Act 515
- Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (15 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
- Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
- Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
- Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
- Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
- Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
- Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
- Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
- Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
- Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
- Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
- Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
Votes
- Senate voteMarch 4, 2026
53 yea, 1 nay (1 not voting, 0 absent)
- House voteMarch 19, 2026
161 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 8 absent)
Topics
- probate court judges
- retirement fund
- court fees
- marriage license fees
- civil filing fees