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Committee adopts amendment and advances bill limiting community bail fund activity
Summary
House Bill 1450 would limit charitable bail funds so they cannot bail the same person more than once per year and would cap posted bail at $5,000; testimony from Memphis' Just City highlighted a 98% appearance rate from nearly 2,000 placements over eight years.
Lawmakers advanced House Bill 1450 after adopting an amendment. The bill limits third-party charitable bail (the "fourth category") by prohibiting a fund from bailing the same person more than once per year and capping the amount a charity can post at $5,000.
Josh Spickler, executive director of Just City and the Memphis Community Bail Fund, testified in opposition to broad restrictions but thanked the sponsor for engaging with community groups. Spickler described the fund's operation — posting full cash bonds for low-level cases, then receiving the funds back when defendants appear — and said the organization has a greater than 98% appearance rate across roughly 2,000 referrals over eight years, posting about $3,500 on average per case last year.
Representative Johnson and others raised concerns that the limits would curtail community support systems that help people remain with families and maintain employment while their cases are pending. The sponsor and amendment authors said the change reflects a policy choice to limit scope and exposure. The committee voted to send the bill to finance/ways and means (15–4).
