Talarico previously fought against legislation banning predators from getting cashless bail
WASHINGTON — Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once opposed multiple major legislative efforts to crack down on sex predators getting cashless bail in the early 2020s, though he eventually did back some tighter rules on bail last year.Back in 2021, the GOP-led Texas state legislature pursued multiple pieces of legislation aimed at cracking down on individuals arrested for alleged heinous crimes being allowed to post no-cash bond, triggering a tense fight with Democrats.Talarico (D), a Texas state rep since 2018, voted against a May 2021 bill, HB 20, that restricted individuals in jail from posting bail on personal bonds, where they aren’t required to make an upfront payment, if they were arrested for sexual or violent crimes.
The measure also barred charities from posting bond on individuals accused or convicted of a violent crime.That provision came in response to an uptick in charities posting bond for alleged criminals in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.One gripe lefty critics had was that HB 20 would’ve required anyone booked for certain misdemeanors to remain in jail for at least 48 hours to give a judge time to look at risk assessments.Ultimately, HB 20 passed the Texas state House 98-46, but failed to become law due to a quorum fight.
That same month, he opposed a proposed constitutional amendment that would’ve barred judges from granting bail to individuals accused of committing sex crimes against minors under 17 and people accused of “committing continuous trafficking of persons.” It passed the state House 104-35, but failed to go into effect because of the disagreement.Then, Talarico opposed the “Damon Allen Act” in August of 2021, which stopped individuals arrested for violent or sexual offenses from getting cashless release.That measure ultimately passed 85–40 and was signed into law by Gov.
Greg Abbott (D).In July of that year, Texas state Democrats had drawn national attention for bre...