HB1140: HB1140 Ben Hill County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill applies only to Ben Hill County. It authorizes the clerk of the county's Magistrate Court to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the chief magistrate, of up to $5.00 for each civil case filed and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court imposes. The money collected can only be spent on 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 files for public access. The funds must be kept in a separate account by the clerk. The court's authority to charge this fee ends on July 1, 2036, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general technology uses for Ben Hill County.

• Authorizes the clerk of the Ben Hill County Magistrate Court to charge up to $5.00 for each civil case filed with the court.
• Authorizes an additional surcharge of up to $5.00 on each fine the court assesses.
• Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records.
• Requires the fees to be kept in a separate, segregated account managed by the court clerk.
• Ends the court's authority to collect the fee on July 1, 2036, with leftover money staying dedicated to county technology uses.

People who file civil cases in the Ben Hill County Magistrate Court and people who are fined by that court will pay the new fee. The court clerk and chief magistrate would administer the fee, and Ben Hill County government would benefit from any leftover technology funds after 2036.

Anyone bringing a civil case or receiving a fine in Ben Hill County's Magistrate Court would pay a small additional cost, up to $10 combined, which would fund computer equipment and digital record-keeping for that specific court rather than the county's general budget.

• Section 1(a) sets the fee at not more than $5.00 per civil filing and not more than $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate.
• Section 1(a) lists the only allowed uses of the fee: computer hardware and software, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records for public access.
• Section 1(b) requires the fee revenue to be kept in a segregated account used only for the authorized purposes.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2036, with any remaining balance dedicated to general Ben Hill County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 541
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-24Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-24Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-17House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)Primary sponsor
• Noel Williams (R, HD-148)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 17, 2026

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

   Local Calendar : House Vote #513

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2026

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #571

• court fees
• Ben Hill County
• local government
• magistrate court
• court technology