HB 1529: Canon, City of; Municipal Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

This bill authorizes the clerk of the Municipal Court of the City of Canon to charge a technology fee, set by the municipal judge, of no more than $15.00 as a surcharge on every criminal and quasi-criminal fine paid to the court. The money can only be spent on the court's technology needs: buying computer hardware and software, leasing or maintaining computer equipment, and purchasing, leasing, maintaining, or installing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment and software. The fee money must be kept in a separate account managed by the court clerk and is subject to audit by an auditor approved by the City of Canon's governing authority. The authority to collect this fee ends on July 1, 2036. Any money left in the account at that point stays dedicated to the city's general technology needs, unless the city's governing authority decides there is a surplus, in which case the clerk can transfer the extra funds to the city.

• Authorizes the Municipal Court of the City of Canon to add a technology fee of up to $15.00 to criminal and quasi-criminal fines.
• Restricts use of the fee money to specific technology purchases such as computer hardware, software, and communications or printing equipment.
• Requires the fee revenue to be kept in a separate, audited account managed by the court clerk.
• Sets July 1, 2036 as the date the fee authority ends, with leftover funds dedicated to city technology use or transferable to the city if a surplus is declared.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these new rules.

People convicted of criminal or quasi-criminal offenses in the Municipal Court of the City of Canon, who would pay the added fee on their fines; the court clerk, who collects and manages the funds; and the City of Canon's governing authority, which audits the account and may receive surplus funds.

Anyone fined in Canon's municipal court would pay up to $15 more, generating a dedicated funding source for the court's computer and communications equipment rather than relying on the city's general budget, with that authority set to expire in 2036 unless renewed.

• Section 1(a) sets the technology fee at up to $15.00 per fine, with the amount decided by the municipal court judge, and limits spending to computer hardware, software, and related communications, imaging, and printing equipment.
• Section 1(b) requires fee revenue to be held in a segregated account managed by the court clerk and subject to audit by a city-approved auditor.
• Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2036, dedicates leftover funds to general city technology uses, and allows the clerk to transfer surplus funds to the city's governing authority.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 670
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2026-03-25Senate Passed/Adopted (Senado)
6. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
7. 2026-03-23Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
8. 2026-03-20House Passed/Adopted (Cámara de Representantes)

• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)Patrocinador principal

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes20 de marzo de 2026

   153 a favor, 0 en contra (14 sin votar, 9 ausentes)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #734

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado25 de marzo de 2026

   50 a favor, 0 en contra (2 sin votar, 2 ausentes)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #799

• municipal courts
• court fees
• local government funding
• City of Canon
• court technology