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House approves bill limiting jail for failure to appear in municipal court; supporters say it protects liberty, opponents say it weakens accountability
Summary
Senate Bill 62 passed the House after arguments over whether municipal penalties for failure to appear should be softened. Supporters said the bill protects liberty by preventing jail for nonjailable underlying offenses; opponents said local control and victim rights could be undermined.
The House passed Senate Bill 62 on April 1 after debate focused on municipal court practice, public safety and local control. The measure narrows circumstances under which failure to appear can generate contempt charges that result in jail time in municipal cases.
Supporters of the bill argued it prevents the use of pretrial detention or jail in municipal cases where the underlying offense is not one for which jail is authorized, thereby protecting…
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