Md. Lawmakers Try Late Push On Bail Attorney Requirement
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller is urging lawmakers to find a way to ease or stop the impact of a court ruling that requires poor defendants in criminal cases to have a lawyer at an initial bail review hearing.
Miller told senators during session Thursday that the 2012 ruling by the Court of Appeals is "a problem crying out for a solution."
Maryland now provides about $10 million in the state budget to help pay lawyers.
A measure would give police more discretion on whether to make an arrest or issue a citation to ease pressure on court commissioners, who decide bail. Another bill is a constitutional amendment that would leave it to voters to decide whether a state-funded lawyer should be required at an initial bail review.
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