This bill mandates that defendants charged with or awaiting sentence for crimes punishable by life imprisonment or a maximum term of 15 years or more must be present at the return of the verdict and at sentencing after trial, unless the court excuses them for good cause. The court is required to inform the defendant of this obligation and the potential penalty before the trial. The bill also allows the court to order the use of reasonable force to transport an incarcerated defendant who refuses to comply with such an order.

Additionally, the bill makes it a class A felony for a person in this situation to knowingly fail to appear as required or to refuse to comply with a transport order, with certain defenses available for uncontrollable circumstances. The bill specifies that a sentence for this violation may be consecutive to any other offense sentence and that multiple sentences for the same failure to appear or comply are not permitted. The fiscal impact of the bill is indeterminate for state, county, and local expenditures, and there are no changes to revenue. The bill is set to take effect upon its passage. There are no insertions or deletions marked in the provided text.