On the heels of New York reinstating bail requirements on a wide range of felony crimes and Florida instituting a statewide bail schedule, Georgia has passed legislation requiring secured bail on 30 new criminal charges.  The bill originated in the Senate, passed the House has been sent to the governor for signature. In addition to requiring bail on additional criminal charges, charitable bail organizations, who use donations from the public to post cash bail, will be limited to posting three cash bonds a year. Any organization wishing to post more than three bonds a year must qualify as ..read more

By Michael J. Whitlock, Executive Vice President In a significant move towards modernization, Denton County, Texas has become the latest jurisdiction to mandate bail agents to post bonds electronically. This development underscores the gradual adoption of e-filing systems within the bail industry, a concept that has been discussed for years but is only now gaining traction in certain states. American Surety Company, with a notable presence in Texas and Georgia, has embraced this shift, working with our agents to post bonds electronically where permissible. While the move to e-filing appears lo ..read more

By Michael J. Whitlock I’ve been attending meetings and annual conferences by the Professional Bondsmen of Texas for several decades and they always deliver. Whether it’s the continuing education classes with instructors with legal experts in bail like Roger Moore, Ken Good and Randy Adler or the auctions to raise money for the PAC, they always do it right. American Surety Company is proud to be a regular sponsor of PBT events. At PBT’s 2023 Annual Convention at The Menger Hotel in San Antonio, PBT held a skeet shot competition, auction for the PAC and raised thousands of dollars for ..read more

Michael J. Whitlock According to wisevoter.com Illinois ranks number five among all states for incidents of violent crime and ranks 19th for total crimes committed. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the Illinois Bail Reform Act, a new law banning the use of cash to secure the appearance in court by the accused while released from jail pending trial. The new law goes into effect September 18, 2023. Illinois has not used bail bonds for decades. Prior to the new law, most defendants could deposit with the court 10% of the set bail in cash. What we refer to as the 90% discount. The new law will ta ..read more

By Michael J. Whitlock South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed sweeping legislation (H3532) related to its pretrial release system and licensed bondsmen. While several states have been reviewing the pretrial release regulations over the past seven to ten years, South Carolina is only now working to address concerns perceived or otherwise. Here are some highlights. Full cash bonds will be required on anyone charged with a violent offense while released on bond for a prior felony offense or a felony offense involving a firearm while out on bond or pretrial release. When setting ..read more

By Michael Whitlock I spent a few days at our nation’s capital this week in my capacity as a member of the American Bail Coalition Legislative Committee. The bail industry is largely regulated by the states though some bail is still written at the federal level and federal regulation can indirectly impact bail policies at the state level. We met with both congressmen and senators to discuss these important issues. The Bureau of Justice Statistics released a study in 2007, providing data gathered from the 75 largest counties in the country for the purpose of determining the effectiven ..read more

By Michael J. Whitlock We’ve all seen fire hose and axe stations as we walk through office buildings only to be used in case of an emergency. Expansion of preventive detention, requiring constitutional amendments is the order of the day in Connecticut, Indiana, and Texas. Some members of these state legislatures have deemed the increase in crime an emergency and preventative detention, holding an offender in jail without bail, until trial, the answer. After years of overreaching criminal justice reforms these legislative bodies, out of desperation, are looking to break the glass to c ..read more

By Michael J. Whitlock There is a winter storm coming down from the north that will sweep across the Midwest over the Northeast guaranteeing snow for Christmas.  Snow just adds a little something to the occasion and the season. I probably don’t embrace the season as much as I should for reasons unknown.  I do enjoy looking out my window to see the cars of my adult kids parked in the driveway.  No matter how old they get, I never stop worrying for their well-being and having them all at the house certainly adds to the holiday spirit. Given the state of our country and the increas ..read more

By Michael J. Whitlock This past October, I was a guest speaker at the California Bail Agents Association annual conference in Las Vegas. My topic was the recent legislation passed in Indiana regulating charitable bail organizations. My preferred speaking style is from the heart, not power point presentations. Albert Ramirez, a veteran bail agent and attorney came up to me afterwards, gave me some positive feedback and ask where I went to college. I told him, no college for me. He said I came across as having advance educated in my presentation. That was the greatest compliment I could receive ..read more

Michael J. Whitlock, Executive Vice President I attended my first meeting of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas in 1989. The meeting was as I recall a well organized and well attended. PBT, like any association has faced its share of challenges. The trade group however demonstrated its toughness and resilience and has remained strong at its core. It is currently one of the strongest and most effective bail agent associations in the country. PBT’s strength can be found in three specific areas: leadership, membership, and relationships. Their leadership starts at the top with President ..read more