Georgia CommonsHB222: HB222 Criminal procedure; inclusion of certain contact information on bonds and recognizances; require
Last action May 14, 2025 · Effective Date 2025-07-01
House Bill 222 requires every criminal bail bond in Georgia to list the full name, mailing address, email address, and phone number of the defendant and each person who signs as a surety.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law, bonds and recognizances used to secure a defendant's appearance in criminal court have to show the name and address of the principal (the defendant) and any surety (the person guaranteeing the bond). This bill rewrites that law, found in Georgia's bond and recognizance statute (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-73), to add two new pieces of required contact information: an email address and a phone number for the principal and for each surety. The change applies across Article 3 of Chapter 6 of Title 17 of the Georgia Code, which governs bonds and recognizances in criminal proceedings generally. The bill does not create new penalties or a new agency; it simply expands the list of information that must legibly appear on these bonds. It also repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Rewrites Georgia's bond and recognizance law (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-73) to expand the required information printed on every criminal bond.
- Adds a requirement that the email address of the principal (the defendant) and each surety be listed on the bond.
- Adds a requirement that the phone number of the principal and each surety be listed on the bond.
- Keeps the existing requirements that the bond show the full name and mailing address of the principal and each surety.
- Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with these new bond information requirements.
Who it affects
Defendants in criminal cases who post bond, sureties (including bail bond companies and individuals who co-sign bonds), courts and clerks that process bonds and recognizances, and law enforcement or court staff who rely on this contact information.
Why it matters
Courts, bail bond agents, and law enforcement would have an email address and phone number on file for the defendant and any surety on a bond, not just a mailing address. That extra contact information could make it easier to reach people connected to a bond if a court appearance or other follow-up is needed.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 17-6-73 to list four required pieces of legible information on every bond or recognizance: full name, mailing address, email address, and phone number of the principal and each surety.
- Section 2 repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with the new requirements, a standard clause with no substantive effect beyond enforcing consistency.
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2025-07-01
- Act 254
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
Show full history (17 actions)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Shaw Blackmon (R, HD-146)
- Noel Williams (R, HD-148)
- Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
- Anissa Jones (D, HD-143)
- Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
- Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 26, 2025
169 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 absent)
- Senate voteApril 4, 2025
52 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 2 absent)
Topics
- bail bonds
- criminal procedure
- court records
- bond requirements