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HR 2868 116th Congress House

EQUAL Defense Act of 2019

Official title: To incentivize States and localities to improve access to justice, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 27, 2020 See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement Criminal justice information and recordsEmployment and training programsEmployment discrimination and employee rightsLaw enforcement administration and funding
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Lawyers and legal servicesStudent aid and college costsWages and earnings
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 26, 2019
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
May 21, 2019
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
May 21, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action June 26, 2019

Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

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.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 1377 Identical bill EQUAL Defense Act of 2019
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 6
All 6 Democratic 3
D
Scott, Robert C. "Bobby"
Virginia · Jan 29, 2020
Richmond, Cedric
· Jan 27, 2020
Demings, Val
· Jan 21, 2020
 D
Dean, Madeleine
Pennsylvania · Jan 8, 2020
Kennedy, Joseph
· Dec 19, 2019
 D
Meng, Grace
New York · Jun 5, 2019
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2868: EQUAL Defense Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2868/
MLA
"H.R. 2868: EQUAL Defense Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2868/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2868, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2868/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2868: EQUAL Defense Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-2868/)
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