The Professional Bondsmen of Texas- Blog

The next Guest on "The Bail Post" is James Lindblad.  He has been a bondsman in Hawaii for over 35 years.  He has witnessed many changes to the criminal justice system over the years.  Join us as we discuss HB 1567, its passage and the publics' response which caused the Governor of Hawaii to veto the bill. Mr. Lindblad suggests that the real fight was over the need for a new jail.  HB 1567 was the response of progressives so that a new jail would not be needed.  But law enforcement, business owners and the mayors of the four major islands banded together with social media to spread the message that releasing everyone was not working and that a change was needed.  The public responded.   Is the "woke" luau over in Hawaii?   James Lindblad is hopeful that more positive change is coming.   Also available on: Apple Podcasts-            CLICK HERE Spotify-            ...

  Hawaii Gov. David Ige announced the bills that are on his Intent to Veto list and which ones he signed into law. There were 343 bills passed during the 2022 Hawaii Legislative session, and the governor intends to veto 30 bills, including one on bail reform. The announcement was made in a news conference on Monday, June 27. The governor added that the 30 bills on his list does not mean it is guaranteed to be vetoed, but he cannot veto measures that are not listed. He has until July 12 to make his final decisions on whether these bills will be vetoed or become law. The governor said after listening to a lot of concerns from the community, he plans to veto the controversial bail reform bill. That’s a relief for all four county mayors and law enforcement leaders who had urged the governor to veto the bill. The bill approved by state lawmakers would have allowed those arrested for non-violent crimes, including Class C felonies to be released without bail. Many of those who wanted the ...

  The lawmaker who introduced a bill that would allow some non-violent defendants to be free without bail as they await trial is now asking the governor to veto it. State Rep. Scot Matayoshi says the bill was introduced to address unfairness within the bail system. None of the four police departments in Hawaii submitted testimony against the legislation. But as soon as it passed, there was quite a bit of opposition that wasn’t presented during the public hearing process. If approved by the governor, the bill would allow those who commit certain crimes such as shoplifting, property damage and theft to leave custody without bail. After hearing from opponents of House Bill 1567, Matayoshi now agrees the bill was too broad. “Maybe what we need to do is to come back with a bill that instead of creating exemptions creates or enumerates the exact crimes that this bill will apply to so we can avoid any of the ones that might endanger the public in the future,” he said. Lee Curran, of Faith...

  Smash and grab burglaries of businesses, car break-ins, arson, and theft are among the crimes in which suspects would be eligible to get released without having to post bail if Gov. David Ige signs House Bill 1567 into law. State Sen. Kurt Fevella and Honolulu City Councilman Augie Tulba represent Ewa Beach, where a number of smash and grab burglaries have recently happened. They are hosting a rally at the state Capitol on Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., urging the governor to veto the bail reform bill. KITV4 asked Fevella why HB 1567 was passed out of the Legislature. He replied: "Everybody thought this bill was good because they only read the part about not having the jails to be crowded. And I never say their staff or they themselves didn't do research on the bill. I not saying that but I'm saying is that everybody thought it was a good intention to less crowded and I think that's the part of the bill that they agreed on." "But they didn't re...

  The seemingly endless debate over bail reform in Hawaii has taken a new turn this year after a key House lawmaker declared she will block the funding needed to plan for a new jail until the state finally restructures the cash bail system that determines which arrestees are released, and which are detained. That move by House Finance Committee Chairwoman Sylvia Luke to explicitly link the controversial issue of bail reform with plans for a new jail to replace the Oahu Community Correctional Center may turn out to be a game changer. Earlier this month the state House passed a measure to allow many people accused of misdemeanors and petty misdemeanors to go free without posting bail while the court system decides their cases. House Bill 1567 was approved by the House in a lopsided 45-5 vote. That same bill won preliminary approval from the Senate Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee on Tuesday, but its future is still uncertain. Measures to overhaul Hawaii...