SB 11-186 Fails in Colorado
- May 11, 2011
- by Collateral Staff
- In the News
Colorado bail agents breathed a sigh of relief May 10 as SB 11-186 failed to move through Legislature before adjournment. The alternative bond bill would have instituted a pre-trial release program and effectively put the state's bondsmen out of business. The bill threatened to eliminate approximately 485 Colorado bail agencies and the eight surety companies who insure them, according to an earlier article from the Denver Post. SB 11-186 would have given judges strong incentive to recommend that people go through the pre-trial release program as opposed to private bail bonds, considering that 50% of the bond amount would have been used to fund pre-trial release services.
The Professional Bail Agents of Colorado, Rocky Mountain Professional Bail Association, several bail insurance companies and a group of lobbyists were among the many people who worked to rally against the bill. They were deeply concerned that public safety would be in jeopardy because pre-trial release programs have been shown to be far less effective than bail agencies.
While the failure of SB 11-186 is great news for bail agents in Colorado, the same issue will continue to rear its head in other states across the country. This emphasizes the need for constant communication and news sharing within the nation's bail industry, as well as membership in state and national bail associations.
Read the Denver Post article on the defeat of SB 11-186.
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