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Committee defers SB 200 after public defender warns of prosecutorial conflict over victim‑witness continuances
Summary
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services deferred SB 200 after testimony that the bill could force prosecutors to weigh victims’ interests against defendants’ speedy‑trial rights and create procedural uncertainty around continuances.
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services deferred action on SB 200, a measure that would limit or govern continuances in cases involving child and other protected witnesses, after defense and victim‑advocate testimony highlighted competing concerns.
The bill was the subject of extended testimony from William Bento, a deputy public defender, who said the measure “creates a duty for the prosecutor to have to take into consideration the rights of the victim or the child witness or other witness in this type of case,” and warned that “that creates a conflict of interest because the…
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