Editor's Note: The Bail News Round-up consists of news items that occurred over the previous week and upcoming industry events. If you have items you would like to contribute, please call us at (866) 411-2245 or click here.

The AboutBail.com staff have noticed a change in the air, and it's not just the milder temperatures that come with spring. Around the country, bail professionals are waking up to the news that new legislation may soon change the way agents do business. It could be a sign of the new visibility of bail bondsmen and agents. Whatever the cause, though, the industry is changing in Tennessee, Connecticut, and other states. The headlines that had us reading and talking this week were:

Connecticut's Bail Bond Industry Facing Changes
Connecticut's lawmakers want to pass new regulations and legislation that would affect the state's bail bond industry directly. Authorities claim that the bail bond industry in Connecticut is a multi-million dollar industry and pressure in the business has meant aggressive marketing tactics as well as increasing bail amounts. The proposed regulations would ban bail professionals from soliciting on state property - including courtrooms, police stations, and courthouses. The new legislation would also make it illegal for convicted felons to work as bail professionals and would ensure that the down payment on bonds would not be lowered - currently, some agents accept as low as 2% of a bail amount. The state may even introduce a forensic accounting program to keep track of financial transactions in the industry. Regulators in the industry are pointing to the recent high-profile case of New Haven bail agent Paul Jacobs, who was indicted after allegedly paying police officers to track down fugitives as one of the reasons for the reforms. Others point out that a number of bail-bond agents have been arrested in recent years. (The Connecticut Post, Apr. 8, 2007)

Tennessee Bail Professionals Facing New Legislation
In Nashville, a House committee voted this past week to kill a proposal sponsored by Rep. Barbara Cooper, D-Memphis, that would allow felons to become bail professionals. Testimony that the bill would hurt the image of bail professionals was heard by the House Judiciary Committee before the vote. The bill has caused some debate because it only would allow rehabilitated criminals who have had their civil rights restored to work as bail professionals again. Not every convicted felon would qualify under the bill. Some industry experts argue that rehabilitated felons deserve a second chance and may be able to do a better job of hunting down criminals. Others claim that even the few former felons who apply to become bondsmen create an unwanted image in the public mind. A companion bill will get a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. That hearing has not yet been scheduled. (The Daily News Journal, Apr. 11, 2007)

Even More Bail Bond Legislation News Out of Baltimore City
A Baltimore city committee has been slated to investigate allegations that bail bondsmen allow payment plans that reduce the impact of high bails. State Attorney Patricia Jessamy will head a subcommittee of the Baltimore City Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to study the problem. According to some, high bails are set in cases when a felon is a danger to society. Payment plans allow that felon to avoid jail time and pay off the standard 10% of a bail bond slowly, if ever. According to some committee members, this creates a danger of re-offense. In fact, at a recent Baltimore council meeting, data was presented that four of 2007's 42 gun suspects were out on bail at the time they were charged with their current offense. It is expected that the committee may call for stricter controls on the bond industry. (The Examiner, Apr. 12, 2007)

A Reminder of Why Bail Professionals Exist
Ralph "Bucky" Phillips has recently spoken out for the first time about his life on the lam. Phillips gained national attention last year when he shot three state troopers, one fatally, and then lived a life on the run while Maj. Michael T. Manning, the commander of Troop A in Western New York and other professionals hunted for him. According to Phillips, his life on the run was highly enjoyable. He eluded both bounty hunters and state troopers, sometimes dressing up as professionals. In some cases, Phillips claims that he was in plain sight of authorities, who failed to catch him. After a plea from his daughter, Phillips surrendered to troopers who cornered him in Pennsylvania. Phillips has since pleaded guilty and is serving his sentence in New York. (Buffalo News, Apr. 8, 2007)

Bounty Hunting Businesses Boom Because of Katrina
Bounty hunting businesses are booming in Houston, thanks to a large amount of bond runners from Louisiana, media sources report. Fugitives out of Louisiana are skipping bail and that is creating big business for bounty hunters. Houston has hundreds of bond skippers at any given time. Experts think that many of those hundreds are currently Katrina evacuees. Some bounty hunters are reporting that as much as 25% of their current workload involves suspects from the state of Louisiana. (KHOU-TV, Apr. 7, 2007)

California Bail Agents Association
2007 Pre-licensing Registration April 14-15, 2007 Los Angeles, CA click here for details		2007 Renewal License Education April 15, 2007 Los Angeles, CA click here for details
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April 14-15, 2007 San Francisco, CA		April 21-22, 2007 Long Beach, CA
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April 15, 2007 San Francisco, CA		April 22, 2007 Long Beach, CA
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FSAA Continuing Education
Chapter 903 Update April 25, 2007 Tampa, FL		Use of Deadly Force for Lawful Self-Defense April 28, 2007 Winter Park, FL
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Ohio Bail Agents Association
OBAA Quarterly Meeting April 14, 2007 Fairborn, OH click here for details
Mississippi Bail Agents Association
MBAA Continuing Education
April 13, 2007 Pearl, MS
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North Carolina Bail Agents Association
NCBAA Pre-Licensing Classes
April 16 & 17, 2007 Raleigh, NC		May 14 & 15, 2007 Raleigh, NC
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NCBAA Continuing Education
May 5, 2007 Raleigh, NC
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South Carolina Bail Agents Association
SCBAA Meeting April 18, 2007 Columbia, SC
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Professional Bondsmen of Texas
2nd Quarterly Membership Meeting April 19-20, 2007 Houston, TX click here for details
Texas Bail Bond Courses April 20-21, 2007 Houston, TX click here for details
Washington State Bail Bond Agents Association
Spring Meeting May 3-4, 2007 Bellevue, WA click here for details