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House amends indigent defense grant language after floor debate over 'meet or exceed' standard
Summary
After a floor exchange over whether indigent defense grant language should require programs to 'meet or exceed' core principles, the Utah House adopted amendments that removed 'or exceed' in multiple places and rejected a proposal to reinstate a prescriptive list of covered expenses.
The Utah House on Feb. 16 adopted amendments to Senate Bill 108, a measure revising indigent defense grant eligibility, after an extended floor discussion about whether the bill’s language would create inconsistent statutory standards or unintended spending incentives.
Representative Ferri, the House sponsor, said SB108 expands what the grant program may support—moving away from a historically exhaustive list of eligible practices so that local jurisdictions can cover services needed to provide an effective defense. Representative Nelson questioned language in the bill that would require indigent defense services to 'meet or exceed' the commission’s core principles, asking whether requiring them to 'exceed'…
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