The Georgia House of Representatives gave final passage Tuesday to legislation adding a long list of offenses ineligible for no-cash bail. The House voted 97-69 along party lines to adopt a conference committee report on Senate Bill 63 worked out by House and Senate negotiators.
The ban on no-cash bail applies to both violent and non-violent crimes, from murder and rape to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and white-collar crimes including forgery and financial transaction card fraud. Most of the work on the bill was done last year, but the conference committee couldn’t reach an agreement before lawmakers adjourned for the year. Athens Representative Houston Gaines carried the bill in the House.
