SB618: SB618 Municipal Court of the City of Decatur; the assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize

This bill authorizes the clerk of the Municipal Court of the City of Decatur to add a technology fee as a surcharge on top of criminal and quasi-criminal fines the court imposes. The Decatur city government sets the exact fee amount and can change it later, but the fee cannot exceed $15, and the municipal court judge can waive it case by case. Money collected must be kept in a separate account managed by the court clerk and the city's chief financial officer, and can only be spent on specific technology needs: computer hardware and software, imaging and communications equipment, and police department technology such as body cameras, drones, and the 9-1-1 emergency dispatch system. The city manager directs how the funds are spent, and the money can also reimburse the city's information technology department for work done for the court or police.

• Authorizes the Municipal Court of the City of Decatur's clerk to charge a technology fee, capped at $15, on criminal and quasi-criminal fines.
• Lets the Decatur city government set and later change the exact fee amount, as long as it stays at or under $15.
• Allows the municipal court judge to waive the fee on a case-by-case basis.
• Requires fee revenue to be kept in a separate account and spent only on court and police technology, including computers, imaging equipment, cameras, drones, and 9-1-1 dispatch systems.
• Lets the funds reimburse the city's information technology department for services it provides to the court or police department.

People fined by the Municipal Court of the City of Decatur for criminal or quasi-criminal offenses, the court's clerk and judge, the City of Decatur's government and finance office, the Decatur police department, and the city's information technology department.

Anyone fined in Decatur's municipal court could pay up to $15 more per fine, though judges can waive it. The money would fund specific upgrades like body cameras, drones, and 9-1-1 systems, giving the court and police a dedicated funding source outside the city's general budget.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the fee as a surcharge on criminal and quasi-criminal fines, sets the $15 cap, and lets the city's governing authority adjust the rate within that limit.
• Section 1(a) gives the municipal court judge discretion to waive the fee case by case.
• Section 1(a)(1)-(3) lists allowed uses: computer hardware and software, imaging and communications equipment, and police technology including body-worn and vehicle cameras, drones, and 9-1-1 dispatch operations.
• Section 1(b) requires the funds to be kept in a segregated account managed by the court clerk and city chief financial officer, spent only as directed by the city manager, and allows reimbursement of the city's IT department.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 619
3. 2026-05-11Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2026-04-02House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2026-04-02House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2026-03-19House Second Readers (House)

• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)Primary sponsor
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 16, 2026

   48 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #719

2. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   110 yea, 63 nay (1 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #846

• municipal courts
• court fees
• Decatur
• police technology
• public safety funding