Georgia lawmakers won’t require cash bail for more crimes after all, failing to pass a bill that would have imposed bail for offenses including misdemeanor marijuana possession.
The Georgia House voted 95-81 on Wednesday to pass Senate Bill 63, which would have required cash or property bail for 31 additional crimes, including some misdemeanors. But the House and Senate could not agree on a final version, and the measure failed to pass as the 2023 session ended just after midnight Thursday.
The bill could still be considered when lawmakers return in 2024.
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Supporters said that bail is needed to guarantee people show back up for trial and to respect victims.
“This measure establishes Georgia as a state that won’t accept the soft-on-crime policies that we’ve seen in placed like New York, California, Illinois, or catch-and-release,” said Rep. Houston Gaines, an Athens Republican.
Georgia already requires defendants to post cash or property to get out of jail for seven severe crimes, such as murder or rape. The measure would have added crimes to the list, including passing a worthless check, or misdemeanors such as reckless driving or unlawful assembly. Parts of a 2018 law championed by then- Gov. Nathan Deal sought to eliminate cash bail for most misdemeanor crimes.
Mostly Democratic opponents of the measure said many more poor people would sit in jail, causing them to lose their jobs, housing or even custody of their children, while costing local taxpayers much more money to fund their jailing.
“This bill will harm poor people. This bill will create a two-tiered criminal legal system in the state of Georgia, one for those who can afford bond and one for those who cannot,” said House Democratic Whip Sam Park, of Lawrenceville. “We cannot simply lock poor people up as a solution to building safer communities.”
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