US Congress House Bill 2868 (Prior Session Legislation)

---

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)
Status: Introduced on May 21 2019 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2019-06-26 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Establishes and modifies certain programs that support the delivery of public defense services (i.e., legal services for criminal defendants who cannot afford counsel). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to state and local governments, tribal organizations, and public defender offices for public defense. A grant recipient must use the grant to establish a data collection process, develop workload limits, and satisfy specified compensation requirements (e.g., pay parity between public defenders and prosecutors). The bill also directs DOJ to award grants to nonprofits and government organizations to train public defenders, court-appointed attorneys, and contract attorneys. Additionally, a state that receives Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program funds must annually submit to DOJ information related to the legal representation of defendants in criminal cases. It also reauthorizes through FY2022 the student loan repayment program for prosecutors and public defenders and otherwise revises the program, including by increasing the maximum benefit amount.

EQUAL Defense Act of 2019 Ensuring Quality Access to Legal Defense Act of 2019

Rep. Theodore Deutch [D-FL]	Rep. Grace Meng [D-NY]	Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ]	Rep. Joseph Kennedy [D-MA]
Rep. Madeleine Dean [D-PA]	Rep. Val Demings [D-FL]	Rep. Cedric Richmond [D-LA]	Rep. Robert Scott [D-VA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2019-06-26	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
2019-05-21	House	Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
2019-05-21	House	Introduced in House

SB1377 (Same As) 2019-05-08 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2868/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr2868/BILLS-116hr2868ih.pdf