June 6, 2025
Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania (for herself, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Norton, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Crockett, Ms. Brown, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Jayapal, Mrs. Foushee, Ms. Pressley, and Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to strengthen the provision of legal representation to individuals in judicial proceedings that take place after the individual has been arrested in connection with a criminal offense, including at initial appearance.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the True Justice Act of 2025
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Sec. 2. Public defender grant program
(a) Public defender services grants
The Attorney General is authorized to make grants to States, units of local government (as such term is defined in section 901(a) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251(a))), and public defender offices to provide legal representation to individuals in judicial proceedings that take place after the individual has been arrested in connection with a criminal offense, including at initial appearance.
(b) Public defender training grants
The Attorney General is authorized to make grants to States, units of local government, and non-profit organizations to provide training to public defenders, court-appointed attorneys, and contract attorneys on best practices for representing individuals in judicial proceedings described in subsection (a).
(c) Application
An entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably require.
(d) Amount
In determining the amount of a grant under this section, the Attorney General shall take into account, with respect to the receiving entity—
(1)
the cost of any technology and training that the entity will require in order to provide the services under subsection (a) or the training under subsection (b), as applicable; and
(2)
the size of the justice system that the entity administers or in which the entity participates, as applicable, relative to the size of other justice systems in—
(A)
the United States, if the entity is a State or a public defender’s office of a State;
(B)
the State in which the entity is located, if the entity is a unit of local government (other than an Indian Tribe) or a public defender’s office of a unit of local government (other than an Indian Tribe); or
(C)
of the Indian Tribe, if the entity is a Tribal organization or a public defender’s office of a Tribal organization.
(e) Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
Sec. 3. Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that the constitutional right to counsel established by the Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright (372 U.S. 335) applies to any and all post-arrest proceedings.