Introduced
by
To create a statewide public defense system to provide appointed counsel to indigent defendants in criminal cases. Currently the responsibility and costs associated with public defense are with counties, and under the bill these would shift to the state. In 2009 the House Fiscal Agency reported that counties collectively spend $74.4 million on indigent defense services, and if the state spent the national average the amount would increase to $120.1 million.
Referred to the Committee on Judiciary
