Bill: SB 1353, 84(R) - 2015

Committee

Senate Criminal Justice

Vote Recommendation

Vote Recommendation Economic Freedom Property Rights Personal Responsibility Limited Government Individual Liberty
Yes Neutral Neutral Neutral Positive Neutral

Author(s)

Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa

Bill Caption

Relating to the provision and administration of indigent defense services.


Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State or local government is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

SB 1353 would allow the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) to hire government contractors to provide state-level administrative services to every county. This bill would allow the appropriation of funds to develop a database to assist counties to collect data.

Vote Recommendation Notes

Currently, the TIDC is unable to provide grants to entities other than counties. SB 1353 would expand their ability to have state-wide discretion over how indigent defense is handled. Texas is known to have some of the most innovative indigent defense systems and much of that can be attributed to the local discretion that we have handed to the counties.

However, this bill is limited to administrative services, thereby limiting the costs. This bill also would help impact government transparency by providing both a database and training that could help Texans have a more accurate assessment of the efficiency of different indigent defense programs.


We support this bill for encouraging government transparency which enhances limited government.

Organizations Supporting

Texas Conference of Urban Counties

Source URL (retrieved on 03/29/2024 06:03 AM): http://reports.texasaction.com/bill/84r/sb1353?print_view=true