HB 222: Criminal procedure; inclusion of certain contact information on bonds and recognizances; require

Under current Georgia law, a bond or recognizance used to secure someone's appearance in a criminal case only had to include the mailing address of the defendant (called the principal) and any surety, the person or company backing the bond. House Bill 222 rewrites this section of Georgia's bond law (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-73) to add more required contact details. The bill requires every bond or recognizance to legibly list the full name of the principal and each surety, along with their mailing address, email address, and phone number. The change applies to bonds used in criminal proceedings statewide. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.

• Requires bonds and recognizances in Georgia criminal cases to list the full legal name of the principal and each surety.
• Adds a new requirement that the mailing address of the principal and each surety appear on the bond.
• Creates a first-time requirement to include the email address of the principal and each surety on the bond.
• Creates a first-time requirement to include the phone number of the principal and each surety on the bond.
• Requires all of this information to be entered legibly on the bond document.

Defendants in Georgia criminal cases who are released on bond, sureties (people or bail bond companies who guarantee a defendant's court appearance), courts, and law enforcement or court clerks who process and rely on bond paperwork.

With more contact information on file, courts and law enforcement would have additional ways to reach a defendant or surety if a court date is missed, potentially making it easier to track people down or verify their identity during bond proceedings.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 17-6-73, the code section governing what information must appear on a bond or recognizance in a criminal case.
• The revised section requires the full name of the principal and each surety to be listed, which was not explicitly required before.
• The revised section keeps the existing mailing address requirement and adds new requirements for email address and phone number.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no separate substantive effect.

1. 2025-05-14Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-14Act 254
3. 2025-05-14House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-04-09House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-04-04Senate Passed/Adopted (Senado)
6. 2025-04-04Senate Third Read (Senado)
7. 2025-04-04Senate Taken from Table (Senado)
8. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senado)

• Shaw Blackmon (R, HD-146)Patrocinador principal
• 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)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes26 de febrero de 2025

   169 a favor, 0 en contra (5 sin votar, 6 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #83

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado4 de abril de 2025

   52 a favor, 0 en contra (2 sin votar, 2 ausentes)

   Passage: Senate Vote #458

• criminal procedure
• bail bonds
• court records
• public safety