Acting on CT legislative task force suggestions, Legislature enacts DV representation pilot
09/01/2018, Legislation, All Basic Human Needs
UPDATE: pilot will provide localized universal representationConnecticut Legal Services reports that all Waterbury residents seeking a restraining order will be assigned an attorney. UPDATE: modified bill passes Connecticut LegislatureIn 2017, a bill emerged from the Task Force's recommendations: SB 364 proposed a pilot project for representation in domestic violence matters. A version of the bill received funding by the Legislature. According to the News Times, there will be $400,000 put towards representation, with the pilot expected to start in mid-2018. BackgroundIn 2016, Connecticut Senate Bill 426 created a new legislative task force to explore the right to counsel in civil cases. After meeting several times over the course of the year, the Task Force issued its Final Report in December 2016. Among other recommendations, the Report called for the state to Establish a statutory right to civil counsel in three crucial areas where the fiscal and social cost of likely injustice significantly outweighs the fiscal cost of civil counsel:
The Report suggested the first step in implementation is "establishing a right to counsel pilot program for at least one or more of three areas of critical need: restraining order, family unity (child custody and detained removal proceedings), and residential eviction cases. " Connecticut News Junkie has more about the release of the Report. The Task Force had the backing of many Connecticut leaders, including the Connecticut Bar Association President, the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, the Senate President, and the dean of the University of Connecticut School of Law. You can read more about the Task Force at Fox 61, Hartford Courant, and Caifornia Courts Monitor, Also, you can check out the website of the Task Force. |
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NCCRC staff provided research support for the task force bill and advised members of the task force. |