House Study Bill 1 HOUSE FILE BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SWAIM) Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to the hourly reimbursement rate of attorneys 2 representing indigent persons. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1324HC 82 5 jm/gg/14 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 815.7, Code 2007, is amended to read as 1 2 follows: 1 3 815.7 FEES TO ATTORNEYS. 1 4 1. An attorney who has not entered into a contract 1 5 authorized under section 13B.4 and who is appointed by the 1 6 court to represent any person pursuant to section 814.11 or 1 7 815.10 shall be entitled to reasonable compensation and 1 8 expenses. 1 9 2. For appointments made on or after July 1, 1999, through 1 10 June 30, 2006, the reasonable compensation shall be calculated 1 11 on the basis of sixty dollars per hour for class "A" felonies, 1 12 fifty=five dollars per hour for class "B" felonies, and fifty 1 13 dollars per hour for all other cases. 1 14 3. For appointments made on or after July 1, 2006, through 1 15 June 30, 2007, the reasonable compensation shall be calculated 1 16 on the basis of sixty=five dollars per hour for class "A" 1 17 felonies, sixty dollars per hour for all other felonies, sixty 1 18 dollars per hour for misdemeanors, and fifty=five dollars per 1 19 hour for all other cases. 1 20 4. For appointments made on or after July 1, 2007, the 1 21 reasonable compensation shall be calculated on the basis of 1 22 seventy dollars per hour for class "A" felonies, sixty=five 1 23 dollars per hour for class "B" felonies, and sixty dollars per 1 24 hour for all other cases. 1 25 5. The expenses shall include any sums as are necessary 1 26 for investigations in the interest of justice, and the cost of 1 27 obtaining the transcript of the trial record and briefs if an 1 28 appeal is filed. The attorney need not follow the case into 1 29 another county or into the appellate court unless so directed 1 30 by the court. If the attorney follows the case into another 1 31 county or into the appellate court, the attorney shall be 1 32 entitled to compensation as provided in this section. Only 1 33 one attorney fee shall be so awarded in any one case except 1 34 that in class "A" felony cases, two may be authorized. 1 35 EXPLANATION 2 1 This bill relates to the hourly reimbursement rate for an 2 2 attorney representing indigent persons. 2 3 The bill raises the hourly rate from $65 to $70 for class 2 4 "A" felonies, $60 to $65 for class "B" felonies, and maintains 2 5 the hourly rate for all other felonies and misdemeanors at 2 6 $60. The bill also raises the hourly rate for all other cases 2 7 requiring attorney representation from $55 to $60. 2 8 LSB 1324HC 82 2 9 jm:rj/gg/14