HB938: HB938 Tift County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Tift County to charge and collect a new technology fee. The chief magistrate would set the fee amount, up to $5.00 for filing each civil action and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses. The money collected must be kept in a separate account and can only be spent on specific technology needs: buying computer hardware, software, and accessories; leasing, maintaining, and installing computer hardware; purchasing or leasing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment; and converting court records to digital form for public access. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2036, and any money left in the account at that point would stay dedicated to general Tift County technology uses.

• Authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Tift County to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil case filing.
• Authorizes a surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine assessed by the Magistrate Court of Tift County.
• Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases, including computer hardware and software, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Requires the collected funds to be kept in a separate, segregated account managed by the court clerk.
• Sets an expiration date of July 1, 2036 for the fee authority, with leftover funds dedicated to general Tift County technology uses.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new fee authorization.

People who file civil cases in the Magistrate Court of Tift County and people who are fined by that court would pay the new fee. The court clerk and chief magistrate, who set and administer the fee, and Tift County's technology budget are also directly affected.

Anyone filing a civil case or paying a court fine in Tift County's Magistrate Court could pay up to an extra $10 combined, money that would fund the court's computers, records digitization, and related equipment rather than general county revenue, until the authority lapses in 2036.

• Section 1(a) sets the fee amounts: up to $5.00 per civil filing and up to $5.00 as a surcharge per fine, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate.
• Section 1(a) limits fee spending to four categories: computer hardware/software purchases, hardware lease/maintenance/installation, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records for public access.
• Section 1(b) requires the clerk to keep collected funds in a segregated account used only for the authorized purposes.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2036 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Tift County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 527
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-17Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-17Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-06House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Jaclyn Ford (R, HD-170)Primary sponsor
• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 6, 2026

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

   Local Calendar : House Vote #480

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 17, 2026

   48 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #548

• court fees
• Tift County
• local legislation
• court technology
• civil filing costs