Bail Bond Power Grab

Bail Association Seeks to Strip Oversight by DIFP

The Missouri Professional Bail Bond Association, Inc., (MPBBA) is at it again this year. They have two bills floating around the Capitol this session, SB1247 and HB2454. Like past years, the association would like to pass legislation that will feed revenues to the association and require its continued existence. This year, the association is promoting a bail bond board. The association will nominate members to serve on the board. The association will have exclusive rights to provide initial and continuing education to bail and recovery agents, so your choice of education providers will be gone.

This is what the changes would mean to you and your bail bond business:

The language strips all authority from the Department of Insurance (DIFP) and transfers it to the newly created bail bond board.

There will be a $10 tax on every bond you write in the State of Missouri. This tax will be collected every time you write a bond. This tax will be distributed to pay the cost of collecting the tax and to pay the costs of the new board. There has been no published cost analysis to verify if this tax will even cover the costs for paying the board members, executive, investigative, and support staff, as well as other overhead of maintaining offices. (In Arkansas, the bail bond board tax is currently $70 with every level of government getting a cut of the tax.)

The association (there can only be one state-sanctioned association) will nominate 3 bail bond/general agents to serve on the board. A quorum to conduct business is 4 board members.

The board will be responsible for licensing, education, discipline, and rule-making for all bail and recovery agents. In other words, your competitors will be overseeing your business. There is no term-limit on the office of board member.

The association hopes you will overlook this power grab by telling you that this bill offers you a six month remission on judgments. Read the whole bill, not just the highlights published in the association newsletter.

I urge you to get involved this year. Read the bill and think about the consequences to your business. If you disagree with the philosophy of the bail association running your business through a board, I urge you to sign and return this petition. Let your voice be heard. Let those who represent you at the Capitol know that this is a flawed idea for the bail industry.