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California 20252026

AB 690

Criminal procedure: indigent defense compensation.

Open original source Back to bills
Source: Open States / PluralUpdated 2026-09-12 13:12:55 UTC.

Official record

Measure details

Jurisdiction
California
Session
20252026
Chamber
lower
Classification
bill
Subjects
Criminalprocedure, indigentdefensecompensation
Introduced / first action
2025-02-14 00:00:00

Alternate titles

  • Crimes: punishments for misdemeanors.

Source-supplied abstracts

Existing law grants a defendant the right to counsel in a noncapital case, and requires a defendant to be represented by counsel in a capital case. Existing law requires specified assigned counsel to receive a reasonable sum for compensation and for necessary expenses, as determined by the court, to be paid out of the general fund of the county. This bill would, commencing with contracts or memoranda of understanding for indigent defense services entered into after January 1, 2028, revise the process and require a county or court, when contracting for the provision or administration of indigent defense services, to include certain elements in the contract or other agreement for indigent services, as specified. The bill would prohibit a county or court from entering into flat fee contracts, as defined, or per case compensation contracts in cases involving the death penalty or the potential sentence of life without the possibility of parole. The bill would require the structure of the contract for indigent defense services to ensure that attorneys have the resources and time necessary to provide competent legal representation. The bill would require counties that contract with a private entity or law firm to provide indigent defense services to provide all those contracts to the Office of the State Public Defender every 2 years. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Sponsors

Source-supplied history

Actions

  1. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  2. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 59. Noes 11.).

    amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  3. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  4. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 11.).

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  5. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  6. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  7. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 13).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage

  8. In committee: Held under submission.

  9. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  10. In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  11. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 1.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  12. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  13. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1, referral-committee

  14. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 64. Noes 9. Page 1905.)

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  15. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  16. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  17. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 2.) (May 23).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage

  18. Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 16. Page 1644.)

  19. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  20. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  21. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  22. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (March 25).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee

  23. Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  24. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Read second time and amended.

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  25. Referred to Com. on PUB. S.

    referral-committee

  26. From printer. May be heard in committee March 17.

  27. Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

When supplied by the API

Related measures

No resolvable related measure is supplied.