Indiana 2024 Regular Session Status: Enacted Bipartisan · 5 R · 3 D cosponsors

SB 179 — Commission on court appointed attorneys.

Last action — Public Law 111

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Senate
  4. ✓
    Passed House
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 09, 2024. Enacted.

Odds of enactment

High chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a high chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 78% · moderate confidence

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    4 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (5 R · 3 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Requires the justice reinvestment advisory council (council) to conduct a study on criminal indigency determinations by all Indiana trial courts. Requires the council to submit a report containing recommendations on specified topics to the legislative council before July 1, 2025. Changes the name of the Indiana public defender commission to the Indiana commission on court appointed attorneys (commission). Provides that from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, certain counties may be reimbursed for 40% of indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors in a superior or circuit court. (Current law excludes misdemeanors from reimbursement.) Requires the commission to submit a report to the legislative council and the budget committee not later than December 1, 2029, concerning the 40% reimbursement for indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors. Requires each clerk of the court to make an annual report to the commission concerning certain fees. Changes the distribution of fees for indigent defendant representation. Increases certain fees if a court finds a person is able to pay the cost of representation by counsel. Prohibits the commission from: (1) receiving additional appropriations from the general assembly for misdemeanor reimbursement; or (2) reimbursing certain counties for misdemeanor reimbursement; before July 1, 2029. Provides that each court in certain counties receiving reimbursement from the public defense fund shall require a person claiming indigency to submit a uniform form, prescribed by the office of judicial administration, to assist the court in determining whether the person is indigent. Specifies that such courts shall review or designate a staff member to review the form submitted to ensure accuracy of the information contained in the form. Allows such a court to request any additional information needed from the person to verify the accuracy of the information submitted in the form.

Bill Text

We don't have the full text on file for this bill yet.

Read SB 179 on the official Indiana source →

Action History

  1. Public Law 111

  2. Signed by the Governor

  3. Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. Signed by the Speaker

  5. Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the Senate; Roll Call 309: yeas 35, nays 13

  6. Signed by the President Pro Tempore

  7. Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the House; Roll Call 330: yeas 91, nays 1

  8. CCR # 1 filed in the Senate

  9. CCR # 1 filed in the House

  10. Returned to the Senate with amendments

  11. Motion to dissent filed

  12. Senate dissented from House amendments

  13. Senate conferees appointed: Koch and Randolph Lonnie M

  14. House advisors appointed: Steuerwald, Negele, Gore and Pryor

  15. House conferees appointed: McNamara and Hatcher

  16. Senate advisors appointed: Pol, Glick and Brown L

  17. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 262: yeas 96, nays 2

  18. Second reading: ordered engrossed

  19. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  20. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 127

  21. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  22. First reading: referred to Committee on Courts and Criminal Code

  23. Referred to the House

  24. Cosponsors: Representatives Steuerwald, Negele, Hatcher

  25. Third reading: passed; Roll Call 62: yeas 49, nays 0

  26. House sponsor: Representative McNamara

  27. Second reading: ordered engrossed

  28. Committee report: amend do pass, adopted

  29. Senator Randolph added as coauthor

  30. Committee report: amend do pass adopted; reassigned to Committee on Appropriations

  31. Coauthored by Senator Pol

  32. First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary

  33. Authored by Senators Koch, Brown L, Glick

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 141 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (141)

141 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 141 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights labor
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 179 do?
Requires the justice reinvestment advisory council (council) to conduct a study on criminal indigency determinations by all Indiana trial courts. Requires the council to submit a report containing recommendations on specified topics to the legislative council before July 1, 2025. Changes the name of the Indiana public defender commission to the Indiana commission on court appointed attorneys (commission). Provides that from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, certain counties may be reimbursed for 40% of indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors in a superior or circuit court. (Current law excludes misdemeanors from reimbursement.) Requires the commission to submit a report to the legislative council and the budget committee not later than December 1, 2029, concerning the 40% reimbursement for indigent defense services provided for misdemeanors. Requires each clerk of the court to make an annual report to the commission concerning certain fees. Changes the distribution of fees for indigent defendant representation. Increases certain fees if a court finds a person is able to pay the cost of representation by counsel. Prohibits the commission from: (1) receiving additional appropriations from the general assembly for misdemeanor reimbursement; or (2) reimbursing certain counties for misdemeanor reimbursement; before July 1, 2029. Provides that each court in certain counties receiving reimbursement from the public defense fund shall require a person claiming indigency to submit a uniform form, prescribed by the office of judicial administration, to assist the court in determining whether the person is indigent. Specifies that such courts shall review or designate a staff member to review the form submitted to ensure accuracy of the information contained in the form. Allows such a court to request any additional information needed from the person to verify the accuracy of the information submitted in the form.
Who sponsors SB 179?
SB 179 is sponsored by Ragen Hatcher (Democrat), Sharon Negele, Gregory Steuerwald (Republican), Wendy McNamara (Republican), Lonnie Randolph (Democrat), Rodney Pol (Democrat), Susan Glick (Republican), Liz Brown (Republican), and Eric Koch (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 179?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 09, 2024. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 179?
Track SB 179 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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