Committee approves judicial security title change and increases clerks’ retention cap

In later business the Judiciary Committee considered two additional measures.

House Bill 1042 (LC 492701S) — a judicial security and real estate title bill — received a technical amendment to clarify terminology: the committee replaced the word "personal" with "personally identifiable" in a confidentiality exception allowing certified title examiners and title insurers to verify judges’ identities while protecting sensitive information. The amendment passed and the bill advanced from committee.

The committee also considered House Bill 1021, a request from the Georgia Supreme Court Clerks Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) to increase its allowable retention of collected fines and fees from up to $500,000 to up to $1,000,000 annually to cover rising administrative and technology costs. The GSCCCA executive director explained the authority collects court fines and remits most proceeds to state and local funds but retains a small portion to cover operational expenses; the committee passed the bill and adjourned.