PRINTER'S NO. 657
No. 588 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY McCUE, WHITTLESEY, GEISLER AND FISHER,
FEBRUARY 26, 1975
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LAW AND JUSTICE, MARCH 3 1975
AN ACT
1 Relating to bail and violation thereof and providing penalties.
2 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
3 hereby enacts as follows:
4 Section 1. Each person accused of a misdemeanor or of a
5 felony, not involving an act of violence, shall be admitted to
6 bail on his own bonds without surety and without a cash deposit,
7 conditioned upon his promise under oath to appear at the trial
8 or at any subsequent pre-trial hearing upon timely notice from
9 the office of the prosecuting attorney.
10 Section 2. Each person accused of a felony involving
11 violence or of the crime of violating bail, as established in
12 section 3, shall not be admitted to bail except upon
13 determination of a court of common pleas. After the arrest and
14 confinement of such accused person, the said accused person may
15 request the common pleas court of the jurisdiction in which he
16 is confined to hold a hearing to determine whether he may be
17 admitted to bail. Whereupon the said court of common pleas will
1 hold the hearing within 24 hours and will immediately make the
2 determination as to whether such accused person may be admitted
3 to bail under the provisions of section 1. Failure of the court
4 of common pleas to hold the hearing within 24 hours will entitle
5 the accused to the provisions of section 1.
6 Section 3. Any person who has been admitted to bail under
7 his own surety as provided for in section 1 and who fails to
8 appear at any hearing or trial in connection with the offense of
9 which he is accused after timely notice from the office of the
10 prosecution attorney is guilty of a felony and upon conviction
11 may be sentenced to a fine not to exceed $5,000, or to
12 imprisonment not to exceed 5 years, or both.
13 Section 4. All laws in force in the Commonwealth of
14 Pennsylvania inconsistent herewith are repealed to the extent of
15 their inconsistency.
16 Section 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
L11L10ML/19750H0588B0657 - 2 -