tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post1949976936193083617..comments2024-03-15T05:45:01.402-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Civil commitment bill targets agency dysfunction; clock ticking on housing crisisGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-40978011128211596962015-05-19T11:00:03.854-05:002015-05-19T11:00:03.854-05:00That particular figure isn't a change - it'...That particular figure isn't a change - it's an amendment from 2003 and isn't a cap on defense costs. It authorizes a court cost payable to the county where the action is filed to help defray the costs of the trial. Here's a 2003 House analysis from when the bill was pending: <br /><br />http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/hroBillAnalyses/78-0/SB1834.PDFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-49018252534925961702015-05-16T09:43:48.650-05:002015-05-16T09:43:48.650-05:00@85tiger, attorney Bill Habern sent me this commen...@85tiger, attorney Bill Habern sent me this comment on the subject via email:<br /><br />"We have seen such limitations imposed in the past. For example, at the time of the Eroy Brown prison warden murder trial, there was a statutory limit of $500.00 for defense investigation fees. In that case the trial court declared that "as applied" to the Brown case, such a limitation violated Brown's constitutional rights. The defense attorneys ended up being afforded thousands of dollars in investigation fees.<br /><br />"I personally do not recall the limit of $2,500 per case, but I do not deny that limit might be there, but of course such a limitation cannot be Constitutional for such a defense when the case is going to trial. Costs of enforcing the civil commitment is one of the absurdities this state has been facing in these cases. "Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-11132273016402130652015-05-16T07:50:26.557-05:002015-05-16T07:50:26.557-05:00@85tiger, that limit appears to be in the current ...@85tiger, that limit appears to be in the current statute, not something the bill is adding. But agreed, it's remarkably low given the legal complexity of civil commitment cases.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-47475959115875156362015-05-15T22:27:17.133-05:002015-05-15T22:27:17.133-05:00Maybe I'm reading this wrong but it looks like...Maybe I'm reading this wrong but it looks like they have capped defense costs at $2500. Who is going to take one of these cases for $2500?85tigernoreply@blogger.com