HB 1285 Mississippi House · 2025 Regular Session

Bail; make certain amendments to provisions related to.

HB 1285 requires all felony warrants for nonappearance to be listed on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) index without restrictions until the defendant is returned to custody. It extends the time between a surety’s (bail bondsman) notification of potential license revocation and the revocation’s effective date, allowing sureties to submit proof of defendant surrender or bond payment (e.g., receipts or surrender certificates) to prevent revocation. The bill also establishes an 18-month window for sureties to request refunds of bail amounts if the defendant later appears in court or is surrendered. These changes primarily affect felony defendants who skip court, sureties, and the Department of Insurance overseeing bail bonds.
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 14, 2025 Last action Mar 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced Current version · 6 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends Mississippi Code sections related to bail and surety bonds to strengthen enforcement of felony warrants for nonappearance, extend the time period before surety license revocation becomes effective, and clarify procedures for bond refunds and mitigating circumstances. The changes aim to improve accountability for bail bondsmen while providing clearer pathways for defendants to have bail amounts refunded under specific conditions.
Scope change
The bill applies to all felony warrants issued for nonappearance in Mississippi courts and affects licensed surety companies and bail bondsmen operating in the state.
REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that all felony warrants for nonappearance must be placed on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) index with no restrictions until the defendant is returned to custody.

Added provision allowing sureties to submit proof of defendant surrender or bond payment to the Department of Insurance before license revocation becomes effective.

Added specific list of reasonable mitigating circumstances including incarceration in another jurisdiction, hospitalization, drug rehabilitation, and witness protection programs.

TIMELINE

Extended the waiting period from 20 working days to 20 working days (clarified from ambiguous text) between notification of license revocation and when revocation becomes effective.

ENFORCEMENT

Modified procedures for bond forfeiture and refunds, adding requirements for hold orders and clarifying refund timelines.

DEFINITION

Clarified definitions and procedures related to bail bond forfeiture, judgment nisi periods, and court notification requirements.

Floor votes · House Feb 13, 2025

How they voted

1160
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 119
Feb 13, 2025
D Democratic39
38 Yea 1
97% Yea
I Independent2
2 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican78
76 Yea 2
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
7
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Feb 14, 2025
Committee
Referred To Judiciary, Division B
upper
Feb 14, 2025
Introduced
Transmitted To Senate
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass
lower
Jan 20, 2025
Committee
Referred To Judiciary B
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Elliot Burch
Elliot Burch
RRepublican
MS
105