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<ns0:Id>20250AB__192799INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-13</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Krell</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Name>Krell</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to add Article 5.6 (commencing with Section 1299.30) to Chapter 1 of Title 10 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, relating to bail. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>bail</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Bail Consumer Protection Act.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law generally regulates the business of insurance in the state, including the conduct of insurance licensees, and provides for the issuance of bail licenses under the jurisdiction of the Insurance Commissioner. Existing regulations generally prohibit the solicitation of bail except after a bona fide request for bail services has been received from the arrestee or from another specified person.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill, the Bail Consumer Protection Act, would prohibit a bail agent or impersonator from engaging in unauthorized solicitation of bail to any family member or known contact of an arrested individual for the purpose of engaging the recipient in bail bond services, as specified. The bill would provide that the prohibition does not apply in certain circumstances, including when the solicitation is permitted under applicable regulations. The bill
would prescribe civil penalties, enforceable by the Attorney General, and authorize the Department of Insurance to suspend or revoke a bail agent’s license for a violation of these provisions. The bill would additionally make a violation of these provisions an unfair and deceptive trade practice under the Unfair Competition Law and authorize private individuals aggrieved by a violation to bring a civil action for actual damages, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney’s fees. The bill would define terms for purposes of the act.</html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
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<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Bail Consumer Protection Act.</html:p>
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<ns0:BillSection id="id_FE27684B-7D2A-4C5F-A447-0069BD0F4846">
<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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Individuals who are arrested, known as arrestees, face significant emotional and financial distress over the pretrial release process, which can extend to their immediate family members and known personal contacts.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Licensed bail agents, and those individuals working at their direction, as well as other unlicensed individuals, many of whom impersonate law enforcement and prosecutorial governmental agencies, frequently engage in unauthorized and unwelcome solicitation for the purchase of bail directed toward an arrestee or the arrestee’s family and personal contacts.
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<html:p>
(c)
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These individuals typically (1) mine arrest data from governmental law enforcement websites and data centers, such as county jail websites, (2) use cross address directories to obtain the personal information of the arrestee or arrestee’s family and personal contacts, and (3) then use this personal data to engage in unauthorized solicitation to purchase bail directed toward an arrestee or an arrestee’s family and personal contacts. Solicitation comes in many forms but primarily cold calls and texts. Many times, the recipients of such solicitation are learning of the individual’s arrest for the first time through these unauthorized solicitations. These individuals also often impersonate law enforcement officials to solicit the purchase of bail. Such practices exploit vulnerable individuals and situations, pressure families into hasty decisions, and undermine public trust in the criminal justice system.
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<html:p>
(d)
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Existing regulations governing bail agent solicitation are inadequate and have not been enforced by the Department of Insurance.
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<html:p>
(e)
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It is in the public interest to protect the privacy and well-being of families of arrested individuals by prohibiting such unauthorized solicitations while allowing bail agents to respond to voluntary inquiries.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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Article 5.6 (commencing with Section 1299.30) is added to Chapter 1 of Title 10 of Part 2 of the
<ns0:DocName>Penal Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:LawHeading id="id_EB3E0FA1-86C6-470B-957A-1569A6C25F67" type="ARTICLE">
<ns0:Num>5.6.</ns0:Num>
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<ns0:LawHeadingText>Bail Consumer Protection</ns0:LawHeadingText>
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<ns0:Num>1299.30.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:</html:p>
<html:p>
(a)
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“Arrested individual” means a person who has been taken into custody by a law enforcement agency on suspicion of committing a criminal offense.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
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“Bail agent” means any person licensed or required to be licensed under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 1800) of Part 2 of Division 1 of the Insurance Code to engage in the business of bail for the release of persons from custody, including any licensed or unlicensed person or entity acting at the direction or on behalf of a bail agent.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
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“Family member” means a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling,
grandparent, grandchild, or other person related by blood, marriage, or adoption to the arrested individual, or any person identified in public records or arrest notifications as a known emergency contact or cohabitant of the arrested individual.
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<html:p>
(d)
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“Impersonator” means any person or entity impersonating a bail agent or government law enforcement agency for the purpose of engaging in the unauthorized solicitation of bail as defined in subdivision (f).
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<html:p>
(e)
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“Known contact” means any person identified in the arrested individual’s booking records, emergency contact information, or other publicly available arrest-related data as a potential point of contact for the arrested individual.
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<html:p>
(f)
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“Unauthorized solicitation of bail” means any telephone call, text, email, or other form of communication to an arrestee, an
arrestee’s family, or adult personal contacts initiated by a bail agent or impersonator to solicit the purchase of bail where the recipient has not previously requested bail services as permitted under Section 2079 of Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations.
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<ns0:LawSection id="id_50823166-B35D-4047-A354-7F579F8D2BF5">
<ns0:Num>1299.31.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
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A bail agent or impersonator shall not engage in unauthorized solicitation of bail to any family member or known contact of an arrested individual for the purpose of engaging the recipient in bail bond services related to a person that has been arrested.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Subdivision (a) applies regardless of whether the bail agent or impersonator obtained the personal information of the family member or known contact from public records, arrest booking information, or any other source. Subdivision (a) does not apply to any of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Solicitation permitted under Section 2079 or 2079.1 of Title 10 of the California Code of Regulations.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Communication to any family member or known contact in response to a voluntary inquiry or request for bail bond services initiated by the same family member or known contact.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
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Communications through written advertisements or publicly accessible websites, if the communications do not target specific family members or known contacts without consent.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
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(1)
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A first violation of this section shall be punishable by a civil penalty of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each unauthorized solicitation of bail.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
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A second or subsequent violation shall be punishable by a civil penalty of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for
each unauthorized solicitation of bail.
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<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The Attorney General may investigate complaints, impose penalties, and seek injunctive relief for violations of this section. The Attorney General shall notify the Department of Insurance of any actions brought by the Attorney General against a licensed bail agent due to a violation of this section.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In addition to the penalties provided in this section, a bail agent’s license may be suspended or revoked by the Department of Insurance upon a finding of a violation of this section.
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<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In addition to the penalties provided in this section, a violation of this section shall constitute an unfair and deceptive trade practice under the Unfair Competition Law (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 17200) of Part 2 of Division 7 of the Business and
Professions Code).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
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Private individuals aggrieved by a violation of this section may bring a civil action for actual damages, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorney’s fees against the bail agent or impersonator.
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 4.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>The provisions of this act are severable. If any provision of this act or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.</html:p>
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