Bill > H1780

This bill establishes a special 14-member commission to investigate and identify the annual costs associated with providing court-appointed legal counsel for sex offender classification hearings. The commission will include representatives from various governmental bodies, including the judiciary, legislative committees on public safety and homeland security, the Attorney General's office, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the governor's office. Specifically, the commission will include chairs and minority members from relevant legislative committees, two members appointed by the Attorney General, two members appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, and two members appointed by the governor who have experience with classification hearing procedures. The commission's primary task is to measure and document the annual expenses related to providing legal representation for sex offender classification hearings. Within 12 months of the bill's enactment, the commission is required to submit a comprehensive report to the joint committee on transportation, which will include proposed draft legislation and regulations addressing the identified costs. While the bill mentions transportation committee in the final reporting section, this appears to be potentially an error, as the report seems more aligned with judicial or public safety committees.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1780