(INDIANAPOLIS) – Bail charities will face the same licensing requirements as private bail bondsmen under a bill passed in the final hours of the General Assembly.
Martinsville Representative Peggy Mayfield says there’s currently no oversight over bail charities, leaving both the community and their clients at risk. The bill gives the Department of Insurance the ability to license bail charities, and revoke that license in case of fraud or other rule violations.
The bill is less restrictive than earlier versions, which would have capped the amount of money bail charities could post, or limited them to misdemeanor cases. The final bill still limits them to nonviolent offenders. And it says they have to use their own money, not tax dollars.
The bill doesn’t include a separate proposal pushed by Senate Republicans to impose minimum bail amounts for each crime, with higher bail required for repeat offenders.
The bill goes to Governor Holcomb to sign or veto.
