Bill · S. 1102· Senate(119-S-1102)
Quality Defense Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 3/25/2025
- Last activity
- 3/25/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- Cory Booker
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The bill, known as the "Quality Defense Act of 2025," creates a grant program administered by the Attorney General to help states, localities, and tribal organizations improve access to justice and public defense systems. It provides data grants so offices can track workload details, attorney hours, and case resolutions. It also provides hiring grants to let eligible entities hire more public defenders, support staff, and increase attorney pay to match prosecutors. Additionally, the legislation requires federal studies on caseload limits and compensation to develop best practices for public defense. Finally, it authorizes grant funding for educational programs that offer training, skill-building, and support for public defenders and panel attorneys.
Yes· 3 of 13
Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts?+10
The central purpose of the bill is to protect the constitutional right to due process and the right to counsel.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+7
Public defense is a critical resource for low-income individuals facing legal proceedings.
Would children be better off under this?+6
The bill specifically protects the rights of juveniles in delinquency proceedings.
The opposite
Does this leave more decisions to the states?-2
The bill uses federal grants to incentivize specific procedural and data collection standards at the state and local levels.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 4(c)(3) allows eligible entities to use hiring grant funds to increase compensation for public defenders and panel attorneys to achieve pay parity with corresponding prosecutor's offices, and to establish or fund loan assistance programs. This can help attract and retain qualified defense attorneys, ensuring better legal representation for people who cannot afford a lawyer.
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Section 4(c)(3) also allows grant funds to be used to hire additional public defenders, case workers, social workers, investigators, or paralegals. Providing more support staff and attorneys can reduce heavy caseloads and give individuals a more thorough defense.
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Section 7(b) requires the Attorney General to award grants for comprehensive educational programs that offer ongoing training, skills practice, implicit bias training, and client-centered values to public defenders and panel attorneys. This directly benefits defendants by ensuring their appointed lawyers receive quality training and professional support.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 4(b)(2) and Section 4(c)(5) require public defender offices and panel attorneys receiving grants to collect and submit extensive personal data on clients, including race, ethnicity, age, gender, specific case types, and case resolutions. While intended to support evidence-based reforms, the widespread collection and reporting of detailed personal client data may raise privacy concerns for individuals navigating the justice system.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+7Good For Children+6Good For Native Americans+5Good For African Americans+4Good For Hispanic Americans+4Good For Immigrants+4
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Due Process+10Improves Government Transparency+6Increases Federal Power+4Increase States Rights-2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+5Improves Policing Reform+3Improves Criminal Sentencing Reform+2
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+5
- 3/25/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont