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I was in Sacramento earlier this week where I joined ABC’s Policy Director Jeff Clayton and California lobbyist Katherine Brandenburg in meeting with state officials and legislative staff at the State Capital.  At issued was yet another legislative proposal targeting the commercial bail industry.  Assembly Bill 2449, is a bill that would have added a $10 fee to each bail bond in favor of a bail investigation and prosecution fund controlled by the California Department of Insurance.  The language in this bill also included a significant increase in license related fees for bail agents.  Fortunately, this taxation bill was left wanting for support among California legislators and it was withdrawn by its sponsor, Assemblywoman Susan Eggman. During one of the many conversations we had at the state house we learned…

Governor Malloy’s Second Chance 2.0 initiative was under review Wednesday in the Joint Committee on Judiciary at the Connecticut State House.  I was present for the hearing along with ABC Policy Director Jeff Clayton, American Surety Company agent Mary Casey and other members of our profession to testify in opposition to S.B. 18, a bill proposing reforms in that state’s criminal justice system. Jeff and I arrived a day early to meet with ABC’s lobbying team and legislators to discuss S.B. 18.  The two components of this bill that would have an immediate impact on commercial bail are 1) a 10 percent deposit bail option and 2) releasing all misdemeanor offenders from jail without bail. The 10 percent cash bail scheme is nothing more than the state competing against commercial…

The effort to roll out the red carpet for criminal offenders by eliminating secured release pre-trial has a new champion: Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-33) of California.  Rep. Lieu filed H.R. 4611 on February 24, which contains language that prohibits the use of money as a condition of pretrial release.  The “In Lieu of Accountability Act of 2016” also proposes that states that continue to hold criminal offenders accountable by requiring surety to guarantee their appearance will discontinue receiving government funding. The irony of Rep. Lieu pursuing this agenda is that he’s from California.  California has been slowly marching toward a lawless society with the passing of legislative measures that have proven to be colossal failures and responsible for a surge in crime and profound threat to public safety in…

It was February 2006 when reality TV personalities Duane and Beth Chapman were welcomed into the arms of PBUS.  A decade later with endorsements from the Georgia Association of Professional Bondsmen, Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey and 50 percent, plus six of PBUS voting members, Beth Chapman was elected President. PBUS has just entered a new era. While PBUS was holding elections this week the attorneys for Equal Justice Under Law were filing an amended complaint in Buffin v. San Francisco, U.S. Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) was filing H.R. 4611 the No More Money Bail Act of 2016 and ABC’s Policy Director Jeff Clayton was testifying in opposition to a Utah bill that, should it pass, would severely limit the amount of commercial bail written in The Beehive State. This year will be a year to remember in the…