softheart
05-23-2003, 08:31 PM
Friday, May 23, 2003 Texas Criminal Justice Reform Coalition Action Alert
SUPPORT FAIR HABEAS REPRESENTATION: Urge Adoption of the Good Senate Version of the Habeas Reform Bill (SB 1224)
S.B. 1224 sets standards and procedures for appointing competent counsel to represent death penalty defendants in post-conviction habeas corpus proceedings. The Senate passed a good version of S.B 1224. The House passed a bad version of S.B. 1224. A conference committee of Senate members and House members (see list below) must agree on a single version of the bill or it will die. Talking points and further resources are featured below.
What You Can Do:
Contact the House conference committtee members listed below first.
Then contact the Senate conference committee members listed below.
Urge them to support the Senate version of SB 1224 and to oppose the House version.
Here’s a website that tells you who is your representative: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm
Key Talking Points: Why the Senate version is a forward step & Why the House Version is a backward step:
The Senate version requires that competent legal representation be provided by lawyers appointed and paid by the state to represent death penalty defendants in habeas corpus proceedings. The House version would allow incompetent representation.
The Senate version requires the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense to study and adopt appropriate qualification standards for habeas attorneys. The House version of the bill locks in place a few extremely lax qualification standards.
The Senate version requires habeas counsel to be appointed from a list of qualified lawyers maintained by the state Task Force on Indigent Defense. The House version does not require appointment of lawyers from a list screened for qualifications
SUPPORT FAIR HABEAS REPRESENTATION: Urge Adoption of the Good Senate Version of the Habeas Reform Bill (SB 1224)
S.B. 1224 sets standards and procedures for appointing competent counsel to represent death penalty defendants in post-conviction habeas corpus proceedings. The Senate passed a good version of S.B 1224. The House passed a bad version of S.B. 1224. A conference committee of Senate members and House members (see list below) must agree on a single version of the bill or it will die. Talking points and further resources are featured below.
What You Can Do:
Contact the House conference committtee members listed below first.
Then contact the Senate conference committee members listed below.
Urge them to support the Senate version of SB 1224 and to oppose the House version.
Here’s a website that tells you who is your representative: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm
Key Talking Points: Why the Senate version is a forward step & Why the House Version is a backward step:
The Senate version requires that competent legal representation be provided by lawyers appointed and paid by the state to represent death penalty defendants in habeas corpus proceedings. The House version would allow incompetent representation.
The Senate version requires the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense to study and adopt appropriate qualification standards for habeas attorneys. The House version of the bill locks in place a few extremely lax qualification standards.
The Senate version requires habeas counsel to be appointed from a list of qualified lawyers maintained by the state Task Force on Indigent Defense. The House version does not require appointment of lawyers from a list screened for qualifications