The Senate Judiciary Committee heard Sen. Bray’s SB 507 on attorney and judicial discipline complaints. This bill permits a prosecuting attorney and a public defender to seek reimbursement from the State Tort Claim Fund for reasonable attorney’s fees incurred in defending against a claim of attorney misconduct if the alleged misconduct relates to the person’s official duties or status as a prosecuting attorney or public defender, the claim of misconduct does not result in a sanction, and the Attorney General approves the reimbursement.
The bill was amended to change that reimbursement comes out of the State General Fund. Representatives from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council and the Indiana Public Defenders Council testified in favor of the bill. The Committee further amended the bill to remove “private reprimand.” The amended bill passed 9-0.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/507.