HB1084: HB1084 Madison County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill applies only to Madison County's Probate Court. It authorizes the court clerk, with an amount set by the probate judge, to charge up to $10.00 for filing a civil action and up to $10.00 as a surcharge on any fine the court assesses. The money collected must go into a separate account and can only be used for specific technology needs: buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing that equipment, buying or leasing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment, and converting court records into digital form for public access. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2031. Any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Madison County technology purposes rather than being refunded or spent elsewhere.

• Authorizes the Madison County Probate Court clerk to charge up to $10.00 for each civil action filed with the court.
• Authorizes an additional surcharge of up to $10.00 on each fine assessed by the court.
• Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitization of court records.
• Requires the collected funds to be kept in a segregated account managed by the clerk.
• Sets July 1, 2031 as the date the fee authority ends, with leftover funds staying dedicated to Madison County technology uses.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new fee authorization.

People who file civil cases in the Madison County Probate Court or who are fined by that court would pay the new fee. The probate court clerk and judge would administer it, and Madison County's technology budget would benefit from any leftover funds after 2031.

Anyone filing a civil case or paying a court fine in Madison County's Probate Court would face a small added cost, up to $20 combined, that funds computer equipment, digital record conversion, and other technology for that specific court through mid-2031.

• Section 1(a) sets the fee cap at $10.00 per civil filing and a separate $10.00 surcharge cap per fine, with the exact amount set by the probate judge.
• Section 1(a) lists the only allowed uses: computer hardware/software purchases, hardware maintenance and installation, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records.
• Section 1(b) requires the funds to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized purposes.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2031 and dedicates any remaining funds to general Madison County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 538
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-26Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-26Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-17House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)Primary sponsor
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 17, 2026

   163 yea, 1 nay (7 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #513

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 26, 2026

   48 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #589

• court fees
• Madison County
• probate court
• local government funding