The Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) awarded more than $5 million in Improvement Grants to establish regional public defender offices serving nine counties, create specialized defender programs to help defendants with mental illness, and streamline attorney appointments. “This regional collaboration grant is a game-changer for our five Hill Country counties,” said Medina County Judge Chis […]
Communicating the Cost of County Government
Communicating the Cost of County Government Unfunded Mandates Survey Editor’s Note: This survey report was released last year as a communication tool to help explain the cost of unfunded and underfunded mandates on property taxpayers. In the coming months, counties will be contacted and survey data will be updated in preparation for the 86th Session […]
Wichita County Indigent Defense Costs Rise 202 Percent Since 2001
By Claire Kowalick Times Record News The Fair Defense Act of 2001 provided substantial improvement to the indigent defense system in Texas, but a vast majority of mandated expenses continue to fall on individual counties. Data from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) shows that in the past 15 years, indigent defense spending in Wichita […]
Indigent Defense Commission Publishes Veterans Defender Resource
The 81st Texas Legislature authorized counties to establish a Veterans Court, and those interested in creating such a court now have a thorough resource guide. The Texas Indigent Defense Commission (the Commission) has published the Veterans Defender Resource for county and court officials who are interested in the establishment of a new Veterans Court or […]
Task Force Awards $2.5 Million to Improve Indigent Defense
Five Counties Secure Discretionary Grant Money The Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense approved more than $2.5 million in new funding to five Texas counties to improve their indigent defense systems. Programs in Dickens and Lubbock counties will provide direct representation to the poor in rural counties, and improvements to indigent defense processes will […]
