HB941: HB941 Tift County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill authorizes the clerk of the Probate Court of Tift County to charge and collect a new technology fee, set by the probate judge, of no more than $5.00 for each civil case filed with the court and up to $5.00 added as a surcharge on each fine the court assesses. The money can only be spent on 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 fee revenue must be kept in a separate account managed by the probate court clerk and is subject to audit approved by Tift County's governing authority. The authority to charge this fee ends on July 1, 2036, at which point any money still in the account stays dedicated to general Tift County technology purposes rather than being spent elsewhere.

• Authorizes the Probate Court of Tift County to charge a technology fee of up to $5.00 on each civil case filed with the court.
• Allows an additional surcharge of up to $5.00 on every fine the probate court assesses, also capped at $5.00.
• Restricts use of the fee money to specific technology purposes: computer equipment and software, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Requires the fee revenue to be kept in a separate account subject to audit by a county-approved auditor.
• Sets July 1, 2036 as the date the fee authority ends, with leftover funds staying dedicated to Tift County technology uses.

People who file civil cases in the Probate Court of Tift County and people fined by that court, since both groups would pay the new fee. The court clerk and judge, who set and collect the fee, and Tift County's government, which audits the account, are also directly involved.

Filing a civil case or paying a fine in Tift County's probate court would cost a bit more, up to $5 extra each time, but the money is earmarked to modernize the court's technology, including digitizing old paper records, rather than going into the county's general budget.

• Section 1(a) sets the fee structure: 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) limits fee spending to four categories: computer hardware and software, hardware maintenance and installation, imaging/scanning/printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Section 1(b) requires the funds to be kept in a segregated account and subjects them to audit approved by Tift County's governing authority.
• 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 any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 530
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
• probate court
• local government funding
• court technology