Columbia, SC - The South Carolina House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to enhance public safety by stopping repeat offenders from committing violent crimes while out on bond. The bill, known as H.3532, received bipartisan support with a vote of 92-20.
H.3532 creates sentence and bond enhancements for a person convicted of a violent crime while out on bond for a previous violent crime. The bill includes a mandatory 5-year sentence enhancement and requires any bond set for someone who commits a violent crime while out on bond for a previous offense to be a 100% cash bond. Magistrates and summary court judges are also required to deny bail for violent offenses, and bond is immediately revoked if a person commits a violent offense while out on bond.
The bill was praised by House Speaker Murrell Smith, Jr. (R-Sumter), who said, "Improving public safety is a priority of our citizens, our law enforcement, and our judicial system. In just a few short months, the House has passed multiple public safety bills and kept good on promises made that we would also prioritize this issue."
House Majority Leader Davey Hiott (R-Pickens) also spoke out in support of the bill, stating, "South Carolina will not tolerate or enable a revolving door of repeat offenders. House leaders, solicitors, SLED, and our county sheriffs came together, communicated and collaborated, and strong bond reform legislation was the result."
With the passage of H.3532, South Carolina hopes to make the state a safer place for all its residents to raise families by preventing violent crimes committed by repeat offenders. The bill will now move to the South Carolina Senate for further consideration.
Comments