Home Detention Monitoring Agencies - Promotion and Solicitation of Business - Prohibition
HB 899 creates a new prohibition on the promotion and solicitation of business for private home detention monitoring agencies on the grounds of courthouses and correctional facilities. It bars those agencies, their agents, and employees of courthouses or correctional facilities from approaching or enticing people to use a specific agency, distributing or wearing advertising materials, or otherwise soliciting business in those locations.
The bill also establishes penalties for violations. A person who violates the new section commits a misdemeanor and may be fined up to $2,500 for a first offense and up to $5,000 for a subsequent offense. If the violator is licensed under Title 20 of the Business Occupations and Professions Article, the bill also imposes license suspension periods of 30 days for a first offense and 90 days for a subsequent offense. Licensed persons convicted under the section must also be referred to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for appropriate action.
The bill adds a new section to the Criminal Procedure Article, with related references to the Business Occupations and Professions Article, to regulate conduct by private home detention monitoring agencies and certain facility employees at courthouses and correctional facilities. It expands state law by creating a specific offense tied to solicitation practices in justice-system settings and by authorizing both criminal penalties and professional licensing consequences for licensed violators. The act takes effect October 1, 2026.
The bill appears to have been noncontroversial in the available record. It was approved by the Governor and enacted as Chapter 477, and there are no recorded committee transcripts or vote tallies indicating opposition or debate. The overall sentiment suggested by the legislative history is supportive, or at least not publicly contested.
The main policy issue underlying the bill is whether private home detention monitoring agencies should be allowed to market their services in courthouses and correctional facilities, where individuals may be especially vulnerable or under pressure to make quick decisions. The bill specifically targets solicitation by agencies, their representatives, and even courthouse or correctional facility employees, indicating concern about conflicts of interest, coercive marketing, or unfair access to potential clients. No formal objections or competing viewpoints are reflected in the provided materials.