National Center for the Right to Counsel Act

Bill: 113-hr-3407
Sponsor: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-21]
Introduced: 2013-10-30 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Advisory bodies
Congressional oversight
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Due process and equal protection
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Law enforcement administration and funding
Lawyers and legal services
Poverty and welfare assistance
State and local government operations
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2013-10-30
text: 
National Center for the Right to Counsel Act - Establishes in the District of Columbia a private, nonprofit corporation to be known as the National Center for the Right to Counsel to provide: (1) financial support to supplement, but not supplant, funding for public defense systems that provide legal assistance to indigent defendants in criminal cases, including systems run by state or local governments as well as private entities or individuals providing services under contract with such governments; and (2) financial and substantive support for training programs to improve delivery of legal services to indigent defendants.
 
Requires each state to have a state advisory council to: (1) monitor, receive, and investigate complaints regarding the compliance of public defense systems that receive funding with applicable laws and regulations; (2) notify the Center of any apparent violations; and (3) collect data on the delivery of public defense services and facilitate information sharing between the state's public defense systems.
 
Authorizes the Center to: (1) make grants and contracts; (2) undertake research, training, and technical assistance; and (3) serve as a clearinghouse for information.
 
Prohibits the Center from interfering with attorneys' professional responsibilities to their clients or from abrogating the authority of states or other jurisdictions to enforce such standards.
 
Requires the Center, to the extent feasible, to have services provided in an indigent defendant's principal language in areas where significant numbers of indigent defendants speak a language other than English.
 
Directs the Center to make available to the public an online database that includes the contact information for all public defense systems in every state. 
 
Requires the Center to establish regional backup service centers to assist public defense systems with access to investigators, sentencing mitigation specialists, and information about available grants.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-01-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
action_date: 2014-01-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
action_date: 2013-10-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2013-10-30
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2013-10-30
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2013-10-30
text: Introduced in House