HB1358: HB1358 Brooks County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill applies only to Brooks County's magistrate court, one of Georgia's local trial courts that handles small claims and other minor cases. Currently the clerk has no specific authority to charge a technology fee. The bill lets the clerk, at an amount set by the chief magistrate, charge up to $10.00 for filing a civil case and add up to $10.00 as a surcharge on any fine imposed by the court. The money collected must be kept in a separate account and can only pay for specific technology needs: buying or leasing computer hardware and software, buying or leasing audio-visual and recording equipment, and preserving and digitizing court records. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2036, and any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to general Brooks County technology purposes.

• Authorizes the clerk of the Magistrate Court of Brooks County to charge a technology fee of up to $10.00 on each civil filing and up to $10.00 as a surcharge on each fine.
• Restricts use of the fee revenue to specific technology purchases: computer hardware and software, audio-visual and recording equipment, and digitizing or archiving court records.
• Requires the collected funds to be kept in a separate, segregated account managed by the clerk.
• Sets the fee authority to expire on July 1, 2036, with any leftover money staying dedicated to Brooks County technology uses.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new authority.

People who file civil lawsuits or who are fined by the Magistrate Court of Brooks County, the court's clerk and chief magistrate, who set and collect the fee, and Brooks County government, which benefits from any technology funded or left over from the account.

Anyone filing a civil case or paying a court fine in Brooks County's magistrate court would pay a small extra fee, up to $20 combined in some cases, that funds computer systems, recording equipment, and digital record-keeping for that specific court, rather than coming from the county's general budget.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the clerk to charge up to $10.00 per civil filing and up to $10.00 as a surcharge on each fine, with the exact amount set by the chief magistrate.
• Section 1(a) limits use of the fee to four categories: computer hardware/software, audio-visual and recording equipment, and digital archiving of court records.
• Section 1(b) requires the fee revenue to be kept in a segregated account used only for these authorized purposes.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2036, and dedicates any remaining funds to general Brooks County technology uses.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 561
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-06Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-06Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-03Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-26House Passed/Adopted (House)

• John LaHood (R, HD-175)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 26, 2026

   158 yea, 0 nay (16 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #569

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #639

• Brooks County
• magistrate court fees
• local court funding
• court technology