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United States · Bill · S

S. 1377 (116th)

EQUAL Defense Act of 2019

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

8 May 2019

Last action

8 May 2019 · Introduced

Status

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA]

Subjects

Defence

Source updated

10 August 2026

Defence

Summary

Ensuring Quality Access to Legal Defense Act of 2019 or the EQUAL Defense Act of 2019 This bill establishes and modifies certain programs that support the delivery of public defense services (i.e., legal services for criminal defendants who cannot afford counsel). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to state and local governments, tribal organizations, and public defender offices for public defense. A grant recipient must use the grant to establish a data collection process, develop workload limits, and satisfy specified compensation requirements (e.g., pay parity between public defenders and prosecutors). The bill also directs DOJ to award grants to nonprofits and government organizations to train public defenders, court-appointed attorneys, and contract attorneys. Additionally, a state that receives Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program funds must annually submit to DOJ information related to the legal representation of defendants in criminal cases. It also reauthorizes through FY2022 the student loan repayment program for prosecutors and public defenders and otherwise revises the program, including by increasing the maximum benefit amount.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 8 May 2019

    Introduced

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 8 May 2019

    Introduced

    Introduced in Senate

    Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Documents

3 official files

Introduced in Senate (text)

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  • Introduced in Senate (text)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 8 May 2019

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Introduced in Senate (PDF)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 8 May 2019

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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  • Introduced in Senate

    summary · EN · 8 May 2019

    Open at official source

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Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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