Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bail Bonds Audit Reporting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House approves reporting and audit bill for bail bond companies, requires quarterly filings
Summary
House Bill 785 (substituted to Senate Bill 1237) was approved to require quarterly reporting that will let courts and the Department of Revenue identify overextended bail bond companies and verify payment of per‑bond fees. Supporters said the change addresses gaps from self‑reporting; critics sought a statewide centralized system. The bill passed
The House passed legislation (House Bill 785, substituted for Senate Bill 1237) that requires quarterly reporting on bail bonds and creates an audit mechanism for the Department of Revenue to determine whether bond agents are overextended and whether required per‑bond fees have been paid.
Chairman Howell said the change responds to instances in which a bondsman licensed for a large exposure was later found, in audit, to be vastly overextended. He said county clerks and courts currently receive filings but that the reporting is not consolidated statewide, which can obscure a bondsman's total exposure across counties. Under the bill the Department of Revenue will work with court clerks to compile the reports and enable audits.
Representative Dixie asked how quarterly reporting to local clerks would surface statewide overextension; Chairman Howell said Revenue would be able to aggregate clerk filings to audit bondsmen. Representative Dixie expressed support for the bill while urging work on a single statewide system; lawmakers agreed the bill will increase oversight and level the playing field.
The House recorded the vote and the presiding officer declared the bill passed; the transcript records that the bill "received the constitutional majority" though a floor tally number in the transcript extract is not specified in the floor notes available.
The bill also preserves an existing $12 per‑bond fee that clerks collect and clarifies the payment path and an audit process; the transcript includes no dollar figure for statewide compliance costs, although proponents said it enables Revenue to detect unpaid fees.
