Bill > HB143

This bill modifies Louisiana's Code of Criminal Procedure Article 334 regarding the notice of arrest warrants, expanding the requirements for how and when such notices are sent. Specifically, the bill clarifies that when a defendant fails to appear, the court clerk must send a warrant notice within 60 days to multiple parties, including the prosecuting attorney, the defendant, bail agent or bondsman, personal surety, and commercial surety. The bill introduces a new provision allowing bail agents or bondsmen to file an "electronic notification opt-in" form, which would require the court to send warrant notices electronically to those who have registered. If the notice is not sent to the commercial surety and opted-in agents within 60 days of the defendant's failure to appear, the surety will be released from all obligations under the bail undertaking. The bill also specifies that the notice to the commercial surety must include the power of attorney number used to execute the bail undertaking, though failure to include this number will not invalidate any resulting judgment. These changes aim to improve communication and accountability in the arrest warrant and bail bond process.

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https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=25rs&b=HB143&sbi=y