Gov. Pat Quinn signed House Bill 869 into law last week.
It requires defense attorneys to provide detailed cost estimates before
taking on cases, and private investigators and others hired by the defense
teams must disclose their hourly rates in advance. Judges also must verify what
expenses for travel and lodging are reasonable and necessary.
The state treasurer's office now may question bills submitted to the fund
and return them to the court unpaid for further review.
The fund was called into question last year after the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch reported the fund was prone to questionable charges.
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