H.B. 306 was sponsored by Len Walker of the Georgia House of Representatives, District 107.

Rep. Walker was the keynote speaker at the Political Action Luncheon during the recent PBUS Mid-Year Meeting in Savannah. He spoke of the positive impact H.B. 306 will have on commercial bail and public safety in Georgia.

H.B. 306 contains three critical components: 1) A condition of electronic monitoring can only be added on a defendant when a bond has been set; 2) A bondsman can be provider of electronic monitoring devices and charge a fee over and above the bond premium; 3) All providers must first be approved by the local sheriff and the chief judge and; 4) The provider of the electronic monitoring device "shall act as surety for the bond".

Rep. Walker, now in his eight-term, also spoke on the issue of overcrowding in Georgia's prisons and county jails. Overcrowding is a major issue which must be addressed yet the citizens of Georgia are not willing to invest more tax dollars to build new facilities. Other solutions must be brought forward and considered, ideas that do not provided an additional tax burden. Rep. Walker commented that one solution may be the ALEC model bill for a Post Conviction Bond. Allowing the early release of nonviolent offenders with the added condition of posting a post conviction bond would help ease prison crowding and reduce the recidivism rate among parolees. The cost of post conviction bonds would be borne on the parolee and not the tax payer. Rep. Walker should be commended for his forward thinking and problem solving and supported in his effort to ease the tax burden on Georgia citizens while advancing the cause of public safety.