{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://teddeutch.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=357119", "U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch Introduces National Center for the Right to Counsel Act", "2013-10-30", "2013", "2013-10", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Ted Deutch", "D000610", "teddeutch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Legislation Aims to Uphold Right to Counsel Established by Gideon v. Wainright\u00a0\n\u00a0\nToday, Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-21), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the National Center for the Right to Counsel Act. The legislation is designed to spur improvements to public defender systems across America, which have been struggling to uphold the constitutional right to counsel for indigent defendants as established 50 years ago in the Supreme Court\u2019s landmark\u00a0Gideon v. Wainright\u00a0decision. The National Center for the Right to Counsel Act will establish a private, nonprofit center to financially support state and local systems of public defense and provide training to improve the quality of representation provided to Americans charged with crimes but unable to afford lawyers.\u00a0 Joining Congressman Deutch as original cosponsors of the National Center for the Right to Counsel Act are Congressman John Conyers (MI-13), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-3), Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.\n\u201cOur underfunded and overloaded public defender system undermines the legal representation that the Supreme Court ruled in\u00a0Gideon v. Wainright\u00a0must be guaranteed to all Americans, regardless of their financial means, in order to receive a fair trial,\u201d said Congressman Ted Deutch. \u201cFrom our unsustainably high rates of incarceration to the lives of families torn apart by unnecessary jail time and wrongful convictions, Congress cannot afford to ignore the economic and moral costs of this crisis in our criminal justice system. I have introduced the National Center for the Right to Counsel Act because Congress has an obligation to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and ensure our justice system is administered fairly.\u201d\u00a0\nThe National Center for the Right to Counsel Act would create a private, nonprofit Center that provides financial support for state and local public defense systems and training programs that aim to improve the delivery of legal services to indigent defendants.\u00a0 The financial assistance provided by the Center in the form of grants and contracts will supplement, not supplant, funding for public defense systems.\u00a0 The Center also will engage in research; training and technical assistance; and serve as a clearinghouse for information relating to the delivery of indigent defense services.\u00a0 In addition, the Center will create Regional Backup Service Centers that will be responsible for serving a specified geographic region.\u00a0 These Regional Backup Centers will provide attorneys engaged in public defense services access to qualified investigators and sentencing mitigation specialists.\u00a0 Regional Backup Centers also will provide information to public defense systems regarding grants that are available to them.\u00a0 In addition, the bill would create State Advisory Councils in each state.\u00a0 These Councils will be responsible for monitoring, investigating, and ensuring that indigent defense services in each state are complying with the Act.\u00a0 The Councils also will be compiling annual reports describing the delivery of indigent defense services in the state. Download a copy of the bill or a legislative summary.\nSeveral organizations committed to addressing the inadequacies of state and local public defender systems have endorsed Congressman Deutch\u2019s legislation, including the American Bar Association, the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, the National Association for Public Defense, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Constitution Project. Several letters of support are available below: \nAmerican Bar Association  \nThe National Legal Aid & Defender Association  \nThe National Association for Public Defense", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://teddeutch.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=357119"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.50969997048378, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}