Senator Cauthorn R-Mexico, filed an amendment to SB895 seeking to remove the bail bond language out of this regulatory bill. The bill was discussed in the previous post. Cauthorn's amendment was defeated today in the Senate. During debate, several senators expressed concern over bail bondsmen who have criminal histories. Cauthorn stated the current law provided that bail bond agents must meet Supreme Court Rule 33.17 which address felons writing bail bonds. The Supreme Court rule actually states that a “surety” cannot be convicted of a felony. The Administrative Hearing Commission (AHC) has previously ruled (the Joyce decision) that this rule only applies to general bail bond agents (surety) and NOT the bail bond agents that working under the generals’ authority. Bail bond agent licenses comprise over 85% of all types of bail bond licensees in the state. The bill also give the Department of Insurance the ability to sanction bail bond licensees without first getting approval before the AHC. The bill was perfected and will be up for a final vote of the Senate.
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