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House passes bill to fund counsel in certain post-conviction death-penalty appeals; fiscal note revised to $200,000 per year
Summary
Lawmakers passed HB 60 to provide paid counsel for a narrow class of post-conviction death-penalty appeals so the state can qualify for federal procedures designed to shorten appeals; supporters cited small caseloads, opponents pressed for fiscal clarity after a revised $200,000 annual fiscal note.
Representative James Stevens’s HB 60, designed to fund counsel for certain post-conviction appeals in capital cases, passed the House and will be transmitted to the Senate.
Supporters said the change is intended to make appeals more cogent and to allow Utah to take advantage of federal procedures that can reduce the number and duration of appeals in capital cases. "If we provide competent counsel, paid counsel to help these people, the federal system will shut down and limit and reduce the number of appeals," Representative Stevens said in support of the bill,…
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