HB 205 -- Bail Bonding

Co-Sponsors:  Campbell, Skaggs

This bill contains provisions relating to bail bond agents and
bail fugitive recovery agents.  The bill:

(1)  Requires licensure with the Department of Insurance;

(2)  Establishes liability for bail fugitive recovery agents for
property damage and physical injury for violations of
constitutional or statutory rights;

(3)  Establishes secondary liability for general bail bond
agents who contract with recovery agents;

(4)  Requires general bail bond agents to provide the department
with a bond for the circuits in which they are planning to write
bonds;

(5)  Requires the department to issue a monthly list to each
circuit clerk of bail bond agents licensed to write bonds in
that circuit;

(6)  Allows the department to charge annual license fees for
bail bond agents;

(7)  Prohibits any person other than a law enforcement officer
or a licensed bail bond agent from apprehending and returning to
custody a bail fugitive;

(8)  Requires at least 80 hours of training by law enforcement
personnel before a person may be licensed as a bail fugitive
recovery agent, and completion of the training within one year
of the application;

(9)  Establishes that bail bond recovery agents are not acting
under color of state law or as employees or agents of the state
of Missouri;

(10)  Exempts persons already qualified as bail bond recovery
agents from training requirements; and

(11)  Makes any person acting as a bail bond recovery agent
without being licensed after August 28, 2000, guilty of a class
D felony.