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| The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice will meet to hear invited and |
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| public testimony on the following interim charges: |
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| Review the performance of the Fair Defense Act and the Task Force on |
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| Indigent Defense. Study key outcomes of the law, including: appointment |
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| rates in felony and misdemeanor cases; state and county indigent defense |
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| expenditures; attorney caseloads; attorney compensation; access to |
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| investigators and experts; and overall quality of counsel for the |
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| indigent. Examine the Task Force on Indigent Defense's effectiveness in |
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| monitoring and enforcing standards and design strategies to improve the |
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| delivery of services for indigent defense, including timing of the |
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| appointment of counsel, the use of the appointment wheel and the |
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| monitoring of workloads and performance of attorneys. |
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| Evaluate the usage of current Texas practices for facilitating the fair |
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| and accurate courtroom testimony of children and reducing the trauma |
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| associated with testifying, particularly for children who are victims of |
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| sexual abuse. Specifically consider recent efforts and trends across the |
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| nation to develop best practices, including "court orientation" programs, |
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| and ensure that courtrooms are more child friendly and accommodating for |
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| young victims to reduce the trauma associated with testifying in court |
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| while ensuring that fair and accurate information is solicited from the |
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| *If submitting written testimony or distributing handouts, please provide |
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| 15 copies, with your name on each copy, to the committee when called to |
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