HB936: HB936 Berlin, City of; Municipal Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

Currently the Municipal Court of the City of Berlin has no specific state authorization to charge a technology fee. This bill gives the court's clerk permission to add a surcharge of up to $10.00 to each criminal and quasi-criminal fine, with the exact amount set by the municipal judge. The money can only go toward the court's technology needs, such as buying or leasing computer hardware and software, and buying, leasing, maintaining, or installing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment. The funds must be kept in a separate account and are subject to audit by an auditor approved by the city's governing authority. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2030, after which any leftover money stays dedicated to general city technology uses, though the city can decide to transfer a surplus to itself.

• Authorizes the clerk of the Municipal Court of the City of Berlin to charge a technology fee of up to $10.00 on each criminal and quasi-criminal fine.
• Limits use of the fee to specific technology purchases: computer hardware and software, and imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment.
• Requires the collected fee money to be kept in a separate account subject to audit by a city-approved auditor.
• Sets an end date of July 1, 2030 for the court's authority to collect the fee.
• Directs that any leftover funds after the fee ends stay dedicated to general city technology uses, unless the city decides to transfer a surplus to itself.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new authorization.

People who pay criminal or quasi-criminal fines in the Municipal Court of the City of Berlin, the court's clerk who collects and manages the fee, the municipal judge who sets the fee amount, and the City of Berlin's governing authority, which oversees audits and can claim surplus funds.

Anyone fined in Berlin's municipal court would pay up to $10 more, with that money funding the court's computers and office equipment rather than general city coffers. The 2030 cutoff and audit requirement limit how long and how the fee can be used.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the clerk to charge a technology fee up to $10.00 as a surcharge on each criminal and quasi-criminal fine, with the amount set by the municipal judge.
• Section 1(a) restricts fee use to computer hardware and software purchases, hardware lease/maintenance/installation, and imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment.
• Section 1(b) requires fee funds to be kept in a segregated account subject to audit by an auditor approved by the City of Berlin's governing authority.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2030 and dedicates leftover funds to general city technology uses, allowing surplus transfer to the city if the governing authority determines one exists.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 525
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)

• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)Primary sponsor

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

• municipal courts
• court fees
• City of Berlin
• local government funding