Committee approves revised bail-bonds bill after removing producer arrest and court-access provisions; 11–9 roll-call

The House Business and Labor committee approved House Bill 852 as amended after adopting a wide-ranging amendment that eliminates several provisions affecting surety bail bond producers.

Jamieson walked members through Amendment 852.1.0.2 and described extensive deletions: removal of producer authority to apprehend defendants extraterritorially (including deletion of language permitting entry to a principal's residence by force), elimination of a provision requiring courts to prescribe a single uniform bail amount, deletion of language that would have provided surety bail bond insurance producers access to court records (section 19), and changes limiting producer participation in redetermination and exoneration hearings. Jamieson also described deletions of provisions on forfeiture notice requirements and lower-court extraterritorial warrant authority.

Representative Nickel urged members to pass the bill and allowed that a small number of groups still had concerns that could be addressed on the floor. Representative Carter said she had spoken with several people after the hearing and quoted their assessment: "there's no way this can be fixed in the amount of time that we have," and said she would vote no. Vice chair urged members to support the sponsor and vote yes, arguing parties that do not engage cannot be fully represented.

The committee conducted a roll-call vote after debate. The clerk recorded 11 votes in favor and 9 against; proxies were announced where applicable. The chair declared the motion carried and reported HB 852 to the House floor.

Because the amendment removed provisions giving producers broader apprehension and court-access authorities, Jamieson said the change reflected concerns raised during the hearing, including testimony from the clerk of the Supreme Court.

The bill will go to the House floor for further consideration.