State Moves to Fund Lawyers for the Poor

The Texas Senate passed a bill that for the first time would provide state funding to hire lawyers for poor defendants and would set standards for those attorneys.

The bill would set aside up to $19.7 million for grants to the state’s 254 counties, which already spend about $90 million per year on counsel for the poor. The measure goes next to the House.

Texas does not have a uniform system for representing poor defendants; court-appointed lawyers are chosen under myriad local rules. A study last year found that some defendants wait months before getting lawyers.

The Senate bill would require that attorneys be appointed within one week and meet state standards. Attorneys would have to try to contact clients within 24 hours.