Thanks for posting this Jason. The North Carolina Bail Agents Association has controlled NC Bail agents Pre Licensing and CE classes for over 20 years. Over the last 12 plus years, that I know of from personal experience, the board members have become power hungry. During PL and CE courses which we are required to take, we've been herded into meetings, sometimes disrepected for asking questions some felt didn't deserve an answer, would watch taped speeches by politicians, and others that were pushing their own agenda and occassionally we would get informative information that pertained to our profession...sometimes!!
Another company applied for and was granted permission to become another choice for NC bondsman to get their CE and PLE courses completed. The NCBAA felt the heat very soon after the new company, NC Bail Academy, started . NCBAA started losing revenue from bondsman so they along with several in the state legislature decided they would attach a bill to another bill, making NCBAA the sole provider of CE and PLE classes and it passed and was signed into law by the out-going Governor at the time. This was done during the end of the legislative session last year, with no notice given to the NC Bail Academy that this bill was attached to a liquor licensing bill. In short, the NCBAA tried to pull a fast one over on everybody thus putting the NC Bail Academy out of business.
What the NCBAA hadn't given any thought to, was the fire that this move would put under the NC Bail Academy and just how hard the Academy and the bondsman of this state would fight back!! In the begining no attorney would touch this case because some big time politicians were behind this bill and wanted NCBAA to be the sole provider. Finally, an attorney decided he would take the case before a superior court judge and the judge had the balls to place an injuction on the law, saying in essence, that this move would create a monopoly in this state, which is, in his opinion, unconstitutional.
While the fight is continuing and tens of thousands of dollars have been spent by the NCBAA trying to clean up the mess they started, the folks at NCBAA have offered more classes to make it easier for us to attend classes all over the state instead of having only four classes before the competion moved in. They are now reaching out to bondsman and actually trying to treat us as members instead of dollar signs...But, the damage has been done and NCBAA has lost what little credability thay had.....If you want more info on this story, google, NCBAA Lawsuit....Competion is a good thing.
_________________ Bill Williams Bail Agent Eagle Bonding Services Asheville NC 28804 828-777-8667 Lic # NC10013561 Lic # TN 2033018
Never be haughty to the humble or humble to the haughty - Jefferson Davis
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