H.B. 2127 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


H.B. 2127
By: Castro
Criminal Jurisprudence
Committee Report (Amended)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law requires courts to appoint attorneys, selected from a rotating
public appointment list, to represent indigent defendants.  Too often,
these attorneys are not provided with the actual date of the defendant's
first court appearance.  Providing attorneys with the date of appearance
will better enable them to prepare for trial and reduce administrative
costs.  House Bill 2127 remedies these problems by requiring the court to
ensure that an appointed attorney is provided sufficient notice of the
defendant's first court appearance.    

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or
institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2127 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to require a court
or the court's designee to provide appointed attorneys with sufficient
notice of the defendant's first court appearance following the attorney's
appointment. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2003.

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

Committee Amendment 1

The amendment specifies that the defendant's first court date be provided
to the appointed attorney.