SB 618: Municipal Court of the City of Decatur; the assessment and collection of a technology fee; authorize

This bill authorizes the Municipal Court of the City of Decatur to charge a technology fee as a surcharge on top of criminal and quasi-criminal fines. The Decatur city government sets the exact fee amount and can change it over time, but the fee can never exceed $15, and the municipal court judge may waive it case by case. The money raised must go only toward specific technology needs: computer hardware and software, imaging and communications equipment like scanners and printers, and police department technology such as body cameras, vehicle cameras, drones, and the 9-1-1 emergency dispatch system. The funds must be kept in a separate account managed by the court clerk and the city's chief financial officer, and spent only with the city manager's approval. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Authorizes the Decatur Municipal Court clerk to charge and collect a technology fee, capped at $15, added to criminal and quasi-criminal fines.
• Lets the City of Decatur's governing authority set and change the fee rate over time, as long as it stays at or under $15.
• Gives the municipal court judge discretion to waive the fee on a case-by-case basis.
• Restricts use of the fee money to specific technology purchases for the court and police department, including computers, imaging equipment, and police cameras and drones.
• Requires the fee revenue to be kept in a separate account overseen by the court clerk and the city's chief financial officer, spent only with the city manager's approval.

People fined in the Municipal Court of the City of Decatur for criminal or quasi-criminal offenses, the court clerk and judge, the City of Decatur's finance department and city manager, and the Decatur police department, which would benefit from the technology funded by the fee.

Anyone fined in Decatur's municipal court could pay up to $15 more per case, though judges can waive it. The money would fund specific upgrades like police body cameras, drones, and the city's 9-1-1 dispatch system, changing how those tools get paid for.

• Section 1(a) authorizes the fee as a surcharge on fines, caps it at $15, lets the city set and adjust the exact rate, and allows judicial waivers case by case.
• Section 1(a) lists three allowed uses: computer hardware and software, imaging and communications equipment, and police department technology including cameras, drones, and 9-1-1 systems.
• Section 1(b) requires the funds be kept in a segregated account managed by the court clerk and city chief financial officer and spent only on city manager's direction.
• Section 1(b) allows the funds to reimburse the city's information technology department for services to the court or police.
• 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 (Senado)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senado)
5. 2026-04-02House Passed/Adopted (Cámara de Representantes)
6. 2026-04-02House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
7. 2026-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported (Cámara de Representantes)
8. 2026-03-19House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)

• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)Patrocinador principal
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)

1. AprobadaVotación: Senado16 de marzo de 2026

   48 a favor, 1 en contra (3 sin votar, 2 ausentes)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #719

2. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes2 de abril de 2026

   110 a favor, 63 en contra (1 sin votar, 2 ausentes)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #846

• court fees
• local government funding
• police technology
• Decatur municipal court
• public safety funding