I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10496 

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to strengthen the provision 

of legal representation to individuals in judicial proceedings that take 

place after the individual has been arrested in connection with a criminal 

offense, including at initial appearance. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 18, 2024 

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania (for herself and Ms. SCANLON) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to 

strengthen the provision of legal representation to individuals in judicial proceedings that take place after the 

individual has been arrested in connection with a criminal offense, including at initial appearance. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘True Justice Act of 

5 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PUBLIC DEFENDER GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) PUBLIC DEFENDER SERVICES GRANTS.—The 

3 Attorney General is authorized to make grants to States, 

4 units of local government (as such term is defined in sec5 tion 901(a) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

6 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251(a))), and public de7 fender offices to provide legal representation to individuals 

8 in judicial proceedings that take place after the individual 

9 has been arrested in connection with a criminal offense, 

10 including at initial appearance. 

11 (b) PUBLIC DEFENDER TRAINING GRANTS.—The 

12 Attorney General is authorized to make grants to States, 

13 units of local government, and non-profit organizations to 

14 provide training to public defenders, court-appointed at15 torneys, and contract attorneys on best practices for rep16 resenting individuals in judicial proceedings described in 

17 subsection (a). 

18 (c) APPLICATION.—An entity seeking a grant under 

19 this section shall submit to the Attorney General an appli20 cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 

21 information as the Attorney General may reasonably re22 quire. 

23 (d) AMOUNT.—In determining the amount of a grant 

24 under this section, the Attorney General shall take into 

25 account, with respect to the receiving entity— 


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1 (1) the cost of any technology and training that 

2 the entity will require in order to provide the serv3 ices under subsection (a) or the training under sub4 section (b), as applicable; and 

5 (2) the size of the justice system that the entity 

6 administers or in which the entity participates, as 

7 applicable, relative to the size of other justice sys8 tems in— 

9 (A) the United States, if the entity is a 

10 State or a public defender’s office of a State; 

11 (B) the State in which the entity is lo12 cated, if the entity is a unit of local government 

13 (other than an Indian Tribe) or a public de14 fender’s office of a unit of local government 

15 (other than an Indian Tribe); or 

16 (C) of the Indian Tribe, if the entity is a 

17 Tribal organization or a public defender’s office 

18 of a Tribal organization. 

19 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

20 authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General to 

21 carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

22 2025 through 2029. 

23 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

24 It is the sense of Congress that the constitutional 

25 right to counsel established by the Supreme Court in GidVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:08 Jan 24, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10496.IH H10496

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1 eon v. Wainwright (372 U.S. 335) applies to any and all 

2 post-arrest proceedings. 

Æ 


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