US Congress Senate Bill 328 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: Introduced on February 7 2017 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2017-02-07 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Pending: Senate Judiciary Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017 This bill states that an indigent individual facing criminal prosecution or juvenile delinquency in a state court is entitled to the effective assistance of counsel, as guaranteed by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, at the state's expense. It authorizes a federal class action lawsuit against a state for its systemic failure to guarantee the right to effective assistance of counsel. The assistance of counsel is ineffective when a class of individuals demonstrates that counsel's performance was not reasonable under prevailing professional norms. Additionally, the bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to modify the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. Specifically, it requires a state or local government to consult with public defenders before distributing JAG funds to community organizations and local governments.

Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2017

Sen. Cory Booker [D-NJ]

Date	Chamber	Action
2017-02-07	Senate	Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

HB968 (Related) 2017-03-09 - Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/328/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/s328/BILLS-115s328is.pdf