AUSTIN, Texas — Many bills crossed the legislative finish line this past session, including one with a mission to help those formerly incarcerated start over again.

Lawmakers passed the Bonton Farms bill, HB 569, authored by Rep. Scott Sanford, which would give people reentering society after serving time in prison to have fines wiped from their records.

What You Need To Know

  • The Bonton Farms Bill helps those formerly incarcerated reduce in-court costs and fines 

  • HB 569 was named after Bonton Farms in South Dallas, which employs former prisoners working to establish themselves within the community 

  • HB 569 was first introduced in the 2019 legislative session but failed to get out of both chambers 

“One of the most difficult roadblocks that they face is fees and fines from previous small misdemeanors such as running a stop sign, a parking ticket or something like that,” said Sanford. “So, while they are in prison those fees and fines just build and build and build in interest and things and the prisoner doesn’t have an opportunity to address those. So, he or she comes out of prison and then they have this massive debt, which means, since they owe the state, they can’t get their driver’s license or they can’t get a job.”

HB 569’s namesake, Bonton Farms, was founded by Daron Babcock. At the South Dallas urban farm and market, Babcock employs former prisoners looking to turn their lives around and re-establish themselves within the community. According to Sanford, Babcock introduced the idea of the bill at an event at American Airlines Center and shortly after, the two began working together to get it passed. It was first introduced in 2019 but failed to get out of both chambers.

“We got it passed out of the House, but couldn’t get it passed out of the Senate,” said Sanford. “Then this year, we we’re able to get Sen. Royce West on board before the session began and he and Mr. Babcock developed a relationship. So, then the speaker of the House added it to his Criminal Justice Reform Package, as a priority bill. So, we were able to get bi-partisan support and get it out of both chambers and to the governor’s desk to get signed.”

The bill was sponsored by 23 legislators across the aisles, including joint author Rep. Toni Rose. As the bill reads, it appears that it will credit former prisoners for time served in jail:

(c) The justice or judge shall credit the defendant for time served in jail as provided by Article 42.03. The credit under this subsection shall be applied to the amount of the fine and costs at the rate provided by Article 45.048. (c-1) In addition to credit under Subsection (c), in imposing a fine and costs in a case involving a misdemeanor punishable by a fine only, the justice or judge shall credit the defendant for any time the defendant was confined in jail or prison while serving a sentence for another offense if that confinement occurred after the commission of the misdemeanor. The credit under this subsection shall be applied to the amount of the fine and costs at the rate of $200 for each day of confinement.

“HB 569 is proof that when a reentry model works, the legislature is eager to support it,” said Derek Cohen, Texas Public Policy vice president of Policy and senior fellow at Right on Crime. “What Mr. Babcock is doing in Dallas is nothing short of miraculous in helping people get back on their own two feet and legislation such as this will only add to the initiative’s success.”

Spectrum News 1 reached out to Babcock for comment but did not receive a response before the publication of this article. However, Bonton Farms acknowledged the passing of HB 569 on its Facebook page.

“We’re beyond thrilled to share that HB 569, the 'Bonton Farms Bill,' was passed by the Texas state Senate and now will be written into law,” the post read. “This is huge news for our neighborhood and for all Texans seeking a second chance by granting freedom from petty fines and surcharges post-incarceration.”

It went on to say that in nine years of its existence, Bonton Farms hadn’t experienced any person “recidivate to prison.”

“This is largely due to our ability to intervene and aid our friends with having surcharges and outstanding petty fines removed from their record once they are released from prison,” the post read.

 

We’re beyond thrilled to share that HB 569, the “Bonton Farms Bill,” was passed by the Texas State Senate and will now...

Posted by Bonton Farms on Thursday, May 13, 2021

For Sanford, the passing of HB 569 will continue to pave the way for more groundbreaking legislation aimed at decreasing the rate of recidivism across the state.

“I think our work and emphasis on this is really only just begun,” he said. “We’re shifting from incarcerating people that we’re mad at and only incarcerating those that we’re truly scared of. There’s a lot of work left to be done and we’re learning more and more about rehabilitation and how to do that successfully.”