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 indi-
viduals in judicial proceedings that take place after the 
individual has been arrested in connection with a crimi-
nal offense, including at initial appearance. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘True Justice Act of 
2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. PUBLIC DEFENDER GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) PUBLIC DEFENDER SERVICES GRANTS.—The 
Attorney General is authorized to make grants to States, 
units of local government (as such term is defined in sec-
tion 901(a) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251(a))), and public de-
fender offices to provide 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. 
(b) PUBLIC DEFENDER TRAINING GRANTS.—The 
Attorney General is authorized to make grants to States, 
units of local government, and non-profit organizations to 
provide training to public defenders, court-appointed at-
torneys, and contract attorneys on best practices for rep-
resenting individuals in judicial proceedings described in 
subsection (a). 
(c) APPLICATION.—An entity seeking a grant under 
this section shall submit to the Attorney General an appli-
cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Attorney General may reasonably re-
quire. 
(d) AMOUNT.—In determining the amount of a grant 
under this section, the Attorney General shall take into 
account, with respect to the receiving entity— 
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(1) the cost of any technology and training that 
the entity will require in order to provide the serv-
ices under subsection (a) or the training under sub-
section (b), as applicable; and 
(2) the size of the justice system that the entity 
administers or in which the entity participates, as 
applicable, relative to the size of other justice sys-
tems in— 
(A) the United States, if the entity is a 
State or a public defender’s office of a State; 
(B) the State in which the entity is lo-
cated, if the entity is a unit of local government 
(other than an Indian Tribe) or a public de-
fender’s office of a unit of local government 
(other than an Indian Tribe); or 
(C) of the Indian Tribe, if the entity is a 
Tribal organization or a public defender’s office 
of a Tribal organization. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General to 
carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2025 through 2029. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the constitutional 
right to counsel established by the Supreme Court in Gid-
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eon v. Wainwright (372 U.S. 335) applies to any and all 
post-arrest proceedings. 
Æ 
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