Legislative Committee
Making good laws requires good information. As defenders in the vast majority of adult felony cases in Kansas, BIDS attorneys and staff have vital information about the criminal legal system and its impacts on everyday Kansans. In recognition of the need to ensure our legislators regularly hear that information, the BIDS Legislative Committee was created in 2022.
The Committee is comprised of public defenders throughout the state, and new membership applications are accepted annually in October for the upcoming session. For more information about what the committee is up to, watch our blog for updates or contact co-chairs Clayton Perkins and Jennifer Roth. They can be reached at cperkins@sbids.org and jroth@sbids.org.
The BIDS Legislative Committee’s mission is to provide advocacy on legislative matters pertaining to the criminal legal system, consistent with the goals of a zealous and holistic defense of indigent people.
BIDS Legislative Committee Chairs
The BIDS Legislative Committee is headed by two dedicated public defenders who have taken on this duty in addition to their everyday client representation.
Jennifer Roth is a deputy appellate defender at the Appellate Defender Office. She has worked for BIDS for the greater part of 25 years, including 13 years as a trial attorney in Topeka. She has done advocacy work at the Kansas Legislature for 19 sessions. She believes that sharing information and real-world experiences with legislators can lead to changes in the criminal legal system, and is also important to the resiliency and well-being of public defenders.
Clayton Perkins is a career public defender, and is currently the Chief Capital Appellate Defender. In 2019, he first provided testimony in the Kansas Legislature opposing a bill meant to harm the rights of criminal defendants and he has been going back ever since.
BIDS Legislative Committee Members for the 2024 Session
Jason King, Third Judicial District Public Defender Office
Kelson Bohnet, Death Penalty Defense Unit
Katie Stevenson, Capital Appellate Defender Office
Jorge De Hoyos, Sedgwick County Public Defender Office
Peter Conley, Death Penalty Defense Unit
Eli Duncan, Tenth Judicial Public Defender Office
Angela Holzmeister, Capital Appellate Defender Office
Kai Mann, Appellate Defender Office
Caroline Zuschek, Capital Appellate Defender Office
Sydney Studer, Tenth Judicial Public Defender Office
Eric Gares, Sedgwick County Public Defender Office
Hannah Eubanks, Third Judicial District Public Defender Office
Houston Bales, Sedgwick County Public Defender Office
Erin Nisly, Reno County Public Defender Office
Lindsie Ford, Tenth Judicial District Public Defender Office
Kassius Andersen, Third Judicial District Public Defender Office
Grace Tran, Appellate Defender Office
Lynn Burke, Salina Regional Public Defender Office
Emily Brandt, Appellate Defender Office
Laura Stratton, Capital Appeals and Conflicts Defender Office
Ann Sagan, Administrative Office
Joshua Luttrell, Northeast Kansas Conflicts Public Defender Office
Ellen Albritton, Sedgwick County Public Defender Office
Alison Williamson, Tenth Judicial District Public Defender Office
Keely Fultz, Northeast Regional Public Defender Office