Hays County Commissioners Accept Grant For Padilla Compliance Pilot Project

By, Terra Rivers | Managing Editor

The Hays County Commissioners Court accepted a grant award from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission Tuesday.

The Commissioners court authorized the submittal of a grant application to the TIDC for funding of the Regional Padilla Compliance Pilot Project for in the amount of $342,720 in July.

The funds will provide technical support to criminal defense attorneys in Hays County and across the 3^rd Administrative Judicial Region for constitutionally required Padilla assistance.

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said it was no light feat to be accepting the grant, and he was very grateful for the commissioners’ work.

“I’m very excited about this program,” Commissioner Lon Shell said. “It’s the first in the state, so we get to be the host of that, and we are going to kick that off very soon.”

Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe-Gonzales said she hopes the defense attorneys will embrace it and utilize the expert assistance that they need to represent their defendants.

According to the agenda, the grant award will be accepted via email on or before October 1, 2019; the county is not required to match funding.

The court voted 5-0 to accept the grant reward; the FY 2020 budget will be amended after Oct. 1 to reflect the grant funding.

The budget amendment will include an increase to the intergovernmental revenue, contract services and overhead (Salary in-kind) funds.