Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Criminal Procedure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate adopts bill extending time to dismiss misdemeanor charges for defendants found incompetent to stand trial
Summary
Senate Bill 963 (conforming to House Bill 11 77) extends the period after which misdemeanor charges are retired for defendants found incompetent to stand trial from the prior statutory period to two years; the House amendment also aligned adjudication procedures for people with disability diagnoses.
The Senate voted to adopt Senate Bill 963 by conforming and substituting to House Bill 11 77. The sponsor said the bill closes a gap left after the passage of the Jillian Ludwig Act by lengthening the statutory period after which certain misdemeanor charges are retired for persons found incompetent to stand trial.
Senator Hatcher, speaking for the bill, said the legislation extends the period from “11 months and 29 days to 2 years” for misdemeanor charges against individuals found incompetent to stand trial due to mental illness, and that the House amendment “ensures that the adjudication process is the same for the individual with a disability diagnosis as it is for individuals” without such a diagnosis.
There was no extended floor debate recorded in the excerpt beyond the sponsor’s explanation. The clerk announced the result and the presiding officer declared House Bill 11 77 passed after the vote.
