Status of the Sixth Amendment Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-1517
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-22]
Introduced: 2017-03-13
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Government information and archives

Juvenile crime and gang violence

Law enforcement administration and funding

Lawyers and legal services

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2017-03-31
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-03-13
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Status of the Sixth Amendment Act of 2017</b></p> <p>This bill requires a state that receives a Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs grant to report annually certain information with respect to the following categories of offenses: (1) criminal offenses punishable by a prison term of more than one year; (2) criminal offenses punishable by a prison term of one year or less, including misdemeanors, traffic, and municipal violations; and (3) acts of juvenile delinquency punishable by a term of detention. </p> <p>A state must report, for each offense category, the number of charges for which: (1) an individual was prosecuted, (2) a defendant waived the right to counsel, (3) a defendant was represented by publicly appointed counsel, and (4) a defendant was represented by counsel who was not publicly appointed. </p> <p>DOJ must publish the reports on its website. </p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1517 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 13, 2017 Mr. Deutch (for himself and Mr. Conyers ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require the Governor of a State to submit to the Attorney General an annual report on the number of individuals who represented themselves in court in criminal matters or juvenile delinquency matters, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Status of the Sixth Amendment Act of 2017 . 2. Finding Congress finds that the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to … have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense. . 3. Report on individuals who represent themselves in criminal matters or juvenile delinquency matters (a) In general Beginning on the date that is 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Governor of each State that receives a grant from the Office of Justice Programs shall submit to the Attorney General a report which contains, at a minimum, the information described in subsection (b)(1) for each of the categories described in subsection (b)(2) for the previous year for that State. (b) Contents of report (1) Information described The information described in this paragraph is as follows: (A) The number of charges for which an individual was prosecuted. (B) The number of charges for which a defendant waived his or her right to counsel. (C) The number of charges for which a defendant was represented in court by counsel who was publicly appointed. (D) The number of charges for which a defendant was represented in court by counsel who was not publicly appointed. (2) Offense categories described The categories of offenses described in this paragraph are as follows: (A) Criminal offenses for which a term of imprisonment of more than one year may be imposed. (B) Criminal offenses for which a term of imprisonment of one year or less may be imposed, including misdemeanors, traffic violations, and violations of municipal ordinances. (C) Acts of juvenile delinquency or juvenile status offenses for which any term of detention may be imposed. (c) Availability of reports The Attorney General shall make the reports required under subsection (a) publicly available on the Internet website of the Department of Justice.