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Senate panel endorses presumption of indigence at initial appearances, recommends funding for counsel
Summary
Senator Jonathan Sickler told the Government Operations Division that Senate Bill 2226 would presume indigence for the purpose of appointing counsel at initial criminal appearances and carry a fiscal note to supply contract attorneys for those sessions.
Senator Jonathan Sickler, sponsor of Senate Bill 2226, told the Senate Appropriations Committee's Government Operations Division the bill would create a presumption of indigence for the limited purpose of the initial appearance in criminal cases and provide an appropriation to the Commission on Legal Counsel for Indigence to cover the additional workload.
Sickler said the proposal grew from a task force and from developments in other jurisdictions, including a federal district-court decision in Arkansas that raised the question of whether defendants are entitled to counsel at initial appearances. He said the presumption would apply only for…
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