Magistrate Court (20)

Date of Last Recorded Action: 5/7/2024

HB 0081 SupportHospital Authorities and Contractors Intercept Income Tax Returns to Pay Medical Bills Tom McCall
3/1/2018 Senate Read and Referred Ways and Means Finance -
2017/01/27-Report 2018/02/23 Report 2018/03/2 Report Clerk of Court Debra Nesbit
Forfeitures, Fees, and Fine Add Ons Health and Human Services Hospital Authority Indigent Health Care Juveniles
Magistrate Court Probate Court Public Safety and Courts Revenue & Finance State Court
Superior Court
This legislation allows health care facilties created, formed or operated on behalf of a hospital authority to intercept tax refunds to pay outstanding medical bills. 
HB 0126 NeutralRestructure of Judicial Qualifications Commission Wendell Willard
7/1/2017 Effective Date Judiciary Judiciary -
Debra Nesbit Magistrate Court Probate Court Public Safety and Courts State Court
Superior Court
This legislation changes the provisions governing the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
HB 0281 NeutralGeorgia Tenant Victim Protection Act for Victims of Domestic Violence Scott Holcomb
2/9/2017 House Second Readers Judiciary --
Clerk of Court Constables/Marshals Debra Nesbit District Attorneys General County Government
Health and Human Services Juveniles Law Enforcement Magistrate Court Open Records/Meetings Act
Probate Court Public Safety and Courts Sheriff Solicitors State Court
Superior Court
This legislation allows victims of family violence, stalking, harrassment, and sexual assault to terminate their lease with limited penalties. 
HB 0367 NegotiatingPublic Employees Privacy Protection Brian Strickland
2/16/2017 House Second Readers Judiciary --
2017/02/17-Report Correctional Institutions/Jail Debra Nesbit District Attorneys Econ. Dev. & Transportation
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Juveniles Law Enforcement Magistrate Court Mandate
Nat. Res. & the Environment Open Records/Meetings Act Probate Court Public Safety and Courts Sheriff
Solicitors State Court Superior Court
This legislation allows certain public safety and judicial officials to execute a certificate of redacted information that requires counties to redact the home address and telephone number of the public safety or judicial official and their relatives from the county's website or other Internet access point within the county's control.
HB 0381 SupportAbandoned Mobile Homes - Method for Removal John Corbett
5/1/2019 Effective Date Judiciary Judiciary -
2017/02/17-Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/03/16 Report 2018/03/23 Report
Code Enforcement General County Government Magistrate Court Progressing Legislation Property Tax
Public Safety and Courts Revenue & Finance Tags/Titles Tax Commissioner Todd Edwards
This legislation establishes a process whereby private property owners can have abandoned mobile homes removed from their land.  Local governments may elect to provide a qualified "local agent" to make a determination, at the request of a property owner, whether a mobile home is abandoned, derelict or intact.  If deemed abandoned, the local government posts a notice, then the property owner notifies the last known mobile home owner (or posts a legal notice if no responsible party can be ascertained), which begins a process whereby the property owner can pay for the removal of the mobile home.  A hearing procedure is provided in magistrate court for aggrieved mobile home owners in this process.  Neither the local government nor the local agent shall bear any liability with respect to any lawful actions taken under this law.  Action: counties wishing to participate must first appoint a qualified local agent.    
HB 0453 NeutralAdd Chief Magistrate Judge to County Law Library Board David Dreyer
7/1/2017 Effective Date Judiciary Special Judiciary -
Clerk of Court Debra Nesbit District Attorneys General County Government Magistrate Court
Probate Court Public Safety and Courts Solicitors Superior Court
This legislation adds the chief magistrate court judge to the county law library board of trustees. 
HB 0457 NeutralBrooks County; Magistrate Court chief judge; provide nonpartisan elections Amy Carter
7/1/2017 Effective Date Intragovernmental Coordination State and Local Governmental Operations -
Elections General County Government Local Legislation Magistrate Court Public Safety and Courts
HB 0566 NeutralDecatur County; Magistrate Court; impose and collect county law library fees Darlene Taylor
6/2/2017 Effective Date Intragovernmental Coordination State and Local Governmental Operations -
Local Legislation Magistrate Court Public Safety and Courts
HB 0705 NegotiatingIncrease Jurisdictional Limits of Civil Cases in Magistrate Court Trey Kelley
2/8/2018 House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute Judiciary --
2018/02/09 Report Debra Nesbit Magistrate Court Public Safety and Courts
This legislation increases the jurisdictional limit to $25,000 from $15,000 in certain civil cases in magistrate court.  The current filing fee in magistrate court is $22.00, this bill will increase that filing fee to $40.00 per case that is over $15,000.  This may result in an increase in the number of cases filed in magistrate court in lieu of filing in state court.
HB 0812 EvaluatingAddition of the Magistrate Court to those Authorized to Collect Law Library Fee Chad Nimmer
2/22/2018 House Committee Favorably Reported Judiciary --
Debra Nesbit Forfeitures, Fees, and Fine Add Ons Magistrate Court Public Safety and Courts Revenue & Finance
This legislation clarifies the authorization of the magistrate courts to impose the law library fee of $5.00 per court.
HB 0934 NeutralThomas County; Magistrate Court chief judge; provide nonpartisan elections Darlene Taylor
5/3/2018 Effective Date Intragovernmental Coordination State and Local Governmental Operations -
Elections Local Legislation Magistrate Court
HB 1035 NeutralMuscogee County; Magistrate Court to impose and collect county law library fees; authorize Calvin Smyre
6/7/2018 Effective Date Intragovernmental Coordination State and Local Governmental Operations -
Forfeitures, Fees, and Fine Add Ons Local Legislation Magistrate Court
SB 0073 NeutralRecorder's Court of Chatham County; chief judge; revise the responsibilities Ben Watson
2/24/2017 House Second Readers Intragovernmental Coordination State and Local Governmental Operations -
Local Legislation Magistrate Court Probate Court Public Safety and Courts
SB 0154 EvaluatingAdditional Penalties for Assault and Battery Against Public Safety Officer While on Duty Gregory Kirk
3/27/2018 House Passed/Adopted By Substitute Judiciary Non-Civil Public Safety -
2017/02/17-Report Correctional Institutions/Jail Criminal Procedure Debra Nesbit District Attorneys
Econ. Dev. & Transportation EMS/Ambulance Fire Services Juveniles Law Enforcement
Magistrate Court Probate Court Probation Public Safety and Courts Solicitors
State Court Superior Court Traffic Enforcement
This legislation provides for tort liability for those who commit an offense of aggravated assault and aggravated battery against a public safety officer, as well as for the parents of any youth who commit the offense.  There is also an additional penalty assessed dedicated to the Georgia State Indemnification Fund.  The language from this legislation was added to SB 160 "Back the Badge".
SB 0160 SupportBack the Badge Act Tyler Harper
7/1/2017 Effective Date Judiciary Non-Civil Public Safety -
2017/02/17-Report 2017/03/17 - Report Clerk of Court Correctional Institutions/Jail Criminal Procedure
Debra Nesbit District Attorneys EMS/Ambulance Fire Services Health and Human Services
Juveniles Law Enforcement Magistrate Court Probate Court Probation
Public Safety and Courts Sheriff Solicitors State Court Superior Court
Traffic Enforcement
This legislation provides exclusive jurisdiction of 13 to 17 year olds who commit an offense of aggravated assault or aggravated battery against a public safety official.  This legislation includes HB 116, HB 258, and SB 154 which gives superior court full jurisdiction for juvenile cases involving aggravated assault, increasing sentences for assaulting a police officer, and additional penalties for those convicted of assaulting a public safety officer while on duty.
SB 0176 NeutralCriminal Justice Reform, Required to Provide Notice Via First Class Mail or Postcard for Failure to Appear Prior to Issuing Bench Warrant John Kennedy
7/1/2017 Effective Date Judiciary Non-Civil Judiciary -
Correctional Institutions/Jail Criminal Procedure Debra Nesbit Econ. Dev. & Transportation Law Enforcement
Magistrate Court Probate Court Public Safety and Courts State Court Superior Court
Traffic Enforcement
This legislation enacts reforms related to driving privileges recommended by the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform which include a requirement that courts provide notice via first class mail or post card to persons who fail to appear for a court date listed on a uniform traffic citation of another court date and the issuance of a bench warrant.
SB 0369 NeutralRequirement for Jurisdictions to Deduct a $5.00 Fee from Pre-Trial Diversion Program Fees to Fund the Peace Officer Annuity and Benefit Fund. Gregory Kirk
5/8/2018 Act 463 Judiciary - Non-Civil Public Safety -
2018/02/02 Report 2018/02/09 Report 2018/02/16 Report 2018/03/16 Report Clerk of Court
Criminal Procedure Debra Nesbit Forfeitures, Fees, and Fine Add Ons Magistrate Court Public Safety and Courts
This legislation creates a new fee to be assessed and collected from the fees charged for pre-trial programs to fund the Peace Officer's Annuity and Benefit Fund (POAB).  The legislation requires counties to remit $5.00 of the funds they collect from pre-trial participants to fund the diversion program to the POAB.
SB 0430 NeutralConstitutional Office Salary Update in Statute Matt Brass
3/29/2018 Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended Governmental Affairs State and Local Governmental Operations -
2018/02/16 Report 2018/02/23 Report 2018/03/16 Report 2018/03/2 Report Clerk of Court
Compensation Debra Nesbit Elections General County Government Magistrate Court
Probate Court Public Safety and Courts Revenue & Finance Sheriff Tax Commissioner

This legislation simply codifies the COLA's that have been awarded to constitutional officers and magistrate judges  since 2006. The mandatory pay raise was removed from the legislation.

To see what Georgia's constitutional officers currently make, by county, which includes COLA's, longevity increases and state and local supplements, please click here:  

Note that these figures do not include fees received as personal compensation in some cases (e.g. clerks' fees for processing U.S. passport applications, probates' vital records fees, and tax commissioners' fees for collecting city property taxes). 

SB 0452 EvaluatingMandate for Law Enforcement to Notify Federal Authorities upon Arrest of Illegal Alien Jesse Stone
3/27/2018 House Postponed Public Safety and Homeland Security Judiciary -
2018/03/23 Report Animal Control Code Enforcement Criminal Procedure Debra Nesbit
General County Government Immigration Magistrate Court Probate Court Public Safety and Courts
State Court Superior Court
This legislation requires that local law enforcement notify US Immigration and Customs Enforcement 72 hours prior to the release of any illegal immigrant from custody.
SR 0613 EvaluatingEnglish is Georgia's Official Language David Shafer
1/24/2018 Senate Read and Referred -Rules -
2018/01/26 Report Econ. Dev. & Transportation Economic Development General County Government Health and Human Services
Law Enforcement Magistrate Court Personnel/Employment Probate Court Public Safety and Courts
Revenue & Finance State Court Superior Court Todd Edwards Traffic Enforcement
In declaring English as Georgia's official language, this proposed Constitutional amendment, among other provisions, prohibits counties from adopting any law, ordinance, decree, program or policy using any other language for any official documents, regulations, orders, transactions, proceedings, meetings, programs or publications.  There are nine exceptions, particularly related to teaching English, public safety, crime victims and criminal defendants, and terms of art.  Any resident or anyone doing business in Georgia has standing to sue for injunctive relief for any violations of this provision.          
Green background on status indicates a bill has been acted on the last recorded legislative day.








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