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HB1337 • 2025

Courts; retention and expenditure of passport application and processing fees by clerks of superior courts and probate court judges; provide

Courts; retention and expenditure of passport application and processing fees by clerks of superior courts and probate court judges; provide

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Silcox, Deborah
Last action
2026-02-19
Official status
House Second Readers
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text confirms authorization for local acts but does not define them, so that definition was removed.

HB1337: How Courts Keep and Use Passport Fees

This bill changes the rules for how clerks of superior courts and probate court judges in Georgia keep, spend, and report on fees collected from passport applications.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows clerks of superior courts to keep money collected as passport application and processing fees instead of sending it all away.
  • Permits these officials to use some of the kept fees for their own personal compensation or pay.
  • Requires court staff to write reports that show how much fee money was collected and spent.
  • Sets limits on what specific tasks or items the passport fees can be used for.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Clerks of superior courts in Georgia
  • Probate court judges in Georgia

Terms To Know

Retention
The act of keeping money or fees instead of sending them to a different government account.
Expenditure
Spending money on specific items, services, or salaries as allowed by the law.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill text does not list the exact dollar amounts or percentages of fees that can be kept.
  • It is unclear exactly which local areas have already adopted special acts for these fees.
  • The specific date when this law starts working has not been listed in the provided summary.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-19 Georgia General Assembly

    House Second Readers

Official Summary Text

Courts; retention and expenditure of passport application and processing fees by clerks of superior courts and probate court judges; provide