[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6539773,"mediaKeyId","3588672-d110923ae883f1990c62a6f1fa032d44","parentId",3588672,"title","Bill aims to strengthen independence of Department of Indigent Defense Services and change hiring for state public defender","audioSeconds",1548,"startMs",1963000,"endMs",3511000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3588672-d110923ae883f1990c62a6f1fa032d44&start=1963&end=3511","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3588672-d110923ae883f1990c62a6f1fa032d44/thumbnail_1963000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6539773/Nevada/Bill-aims-to-strengthen-independence-of-Department-of-Indigent-Defense-Services-and-change-hiring-for-state-public-defender","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539773-24c911928bcf0a98e3c0615b65422fff/orig.mp4?Expires=1773632650&Signature=I-Sdl9dyhCpSROCnwrAf-RKJhvMgp1O5LvfwdYM74fDlDcZkGZYYkgSdltyRlGrjaEFEtkrn3ahMWWggexV~7dlEtf~UMLzuhZm0C0kmL-QrCyh9uLjVFm8K0p-6xmGIZNjr7ghoHj6tBam-ylSWBUn2r57wjL2B1D4VMi-zu9~ZM2tuiBYd2KBN8zLOwI7qbKPxx7n-p2RGPoHoIZ4oQw3XaFLZeqDjmu2KCWC39b97MpzBCXciFM2D42YbjPUSHSLVnY8ilYMXwEIdkpyOhmS6esav8zzLrjcQeGEyUuqqjQT3CoQiHVDREf-GYvGq0AIaeeLO~hCXXajx3dWw8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada Legislature","date","2025-05-29T01:47:04Z","article","Sen. Melanie Scheibel (District 9) told the committee that SB 407 was rewritten this session to address governance and independence concerns for the Department of Indigent Defense Services (DIDS) and to conform the department's structure to the Davis decree resolving litigation over indigent defense.

\"SB 407 says that that person can only be removed, for good cause by a vote of the board, or the governor can remove that person in particularly egregious cases,\" Scheibel said, describing protections for the executive director while preserving narrow governor removal authority for criminal conduct or emergencies. She said the bill would also change how the state public defender is hired so that the executive director — rather than a direct gubernatorial appointment — would recruit and hire that employee, and that the state public defender would have similar \"for-cause\" removal protections.

Peter Handy, executive director of the Department of Indigent Defense Services, told the committee the board currently has 13 seats appointed by various authorities and that the proposed changes are intended to mirror county-level selection processes and to increase the department's independence. \"So there are 13 board seats. They're appointed by various authorities,\" Handy said.

Tara Haseebullah, executive director of ACLU of Nevada, testified in strong support and said the revision is a step toward compliance with the Davis decree and would help recruit scarce candidates for executive and defender roles. \"We're in strong support of SB 407,\" Haseebullah said.

Questions from multiple members focused on licensing for out-of-state candidates, the board's composition and appointment sources, and safeguards to prevent politicized appointments. Scheibel, Handy and others discussed that out-of-state or retired attorneys could be eligible but would be expected to obtain Nevada licensure to perform the job. Committee members also discussed salary and recruitment challenges for these positions.

The committee held the hearing and did not take a vote during this session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","5/29/2025 - Assembly Committee on Judiciary","oneSentenceSummary","Sen. Melanie Scheibel said SB 407 would change the hiring and removal framework for the Department of Indigent Defense Services' executive director and the state public defender to enhance independence and comply with the Davis decree.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NV, Nevada","taxId",78440,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6539776,"Bill would add hate-crime property damage to victim compensation and maintain targeted victim funds",493,1453000,1946000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3588672-d110923ae883f1990c62a6f1fa032d44&start=1453&end=1946","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3588672-d110923ae883f1990c62a6f1fa032d44/thumbnail_1453000.jpg","/articles/6539776/Nevada/Bill-would-add-hate-crime-property-damage-to-victim-compensation-and-maintain-targeted-victim-funds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539776-f1f65da4fe8f6e3a0103859fe18494dd/orig.mp4?Expires=1773632650&Signature=cYxmqfnq-hgfyKm7TEa3sdODK6Y0pHYmWskSEWAZ2c1pk7-4FPyyqKMbEhq~3A~r20tLCYkYyHrEgviYOOz4KJaqyvqM6C0IlDPQ9eh-fuHOXsNfMJd5igX8XN~DfPajjumZchZ~atw7~th57cZT4e~XTRhAu8ul97wldI9V4TeEXUN46zLabeb0ATnaHF2OdE3Vmlu-~Bmf~kxTMrrDRjmW1FMm5vx2VN~vGQU~FvU8nrYmzOp3qywvwuAwMdsX0kmJJbrqPjZFLoH6WDTW~1zqsmjqoYRcFC201YSh8c24fHRNt7iL2-d0AfLEmx40pA7b~nvf2ZU~WK0tbRaifA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Teresa Benitez Thompson, chief of staff to Attorney General Ford, told the committee that SB 62 would amend Nevada's victim compensation provisions to add victims of crimes defined in NRS 193.167 through 193.200 and provide targeted funding for three purposes.

\"We are seeking to add a new type of victim'...a person who's a victim of a crime of NRS 193.167 through 200,\" Benitez Thompson said, describing the change as specific to victims of hate crimes and noting a new remediation payment for property damage.

Under the bill language described to the committee, the change would add eligibility for a victim compensation program run by the Department of Health and Human Services and propose a $1,000 remediation payment for victims of hate-crime-related property damage. The sponsor said the $1,000 figure responds to common out-of-pocket costs such as insurance deductibles.

Section 5 of the bill would create three separate funding \"pots\": $30,000 per fiscal year for the hate-crime property remediation payments (the sponsor said this was sized using an incident count of 27 property hate crimes in the prior year), $20,000 per year for victim-witness work supporting the Attorney General's prosecution efforts, and continuing support for victims of human trafficking at a reduced level (the sponsor said last session appropriations were reduced from an initial $1,000,000 request to $200,000).

Marco Rauda of the Nevada Policy Council on Human Trafficking testified in support. There was no opposition testimony during the hearing. Benitez Thompson said the Department of Health and Human Services will refine eligibility and application details in its victim compensation manual to ensure program administration dovetails with current practice. The committee held the hearing and did not take a vote during this session.","SB 62 would expand eligibility for victim compensation to include certain hate-crime property damage, create a small remediation pot, allocate funds for the Attorney General's victim-witness advocates, and continue funding for human trafficking victim services at a reduced level.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6539781,"Secretary of State, advocates back bill to create restitution fund for securities fraud victims",298,1141000,1439000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3588672-d110923ae883f1990c62a6f1fa032d44&start=1141&end=1439","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3588672-d110923ae883f1990c62a6f1fa032d44/thumbnail_1141000.jpg","/articles/6539781/Nevada/Secretary-of-State-advocates-back-bill-to-create-restitution-fund-for-securities-fraud-victims","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539781-041f3f50deec8772d87aca0896597785/orig.mp4?Expires=1773632650&Signature=ieHiUMgCHpAZv9wWhs6Q4tFZiVzT6ItuuxhuRFAGrAIxQiBBFLbPowaXMVHIf8DSYsSGpk0fQMETmhHTiUIo5cBOlHoT78ImaKsnF-kpetFUhx-zbFy7ZtHPTt2xLIpJSx7tCSyMU4UEsMa25VQkb7QPhg0pHa3xJaTCkcgux9uNNE8jvI-OvX4aKVas73hCAlTRoBS-dkNGJDgaCrbvXkCL6NKBRT17Gea1Gpo8f~DLZlkNikXQNhJ6bIEGnKDz3VNNOFnsaKSK4zsQpLCRD3o7L1k1D2IqsM6x7DvF7ESmfwO2Qt50ds-OZhOE~E4xh9vNnfrEyoD9SkI~TpJdHg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Secretary of State Cisco Ayala told the committee on behalf of his office that SB 76 would establish a restitution fund to help victims of securities and investment fraud recover losses. \"We are here today to present SB 76, our bill to create a restitution fund for victims of securities fraud,\" Ayala said.

The bill would let the Secretary of State's securities division accept gifts and grants for a fund to provide relief to investors, officials said. Ayala noted that in fiscal year 2023 the securities division received complaints alleging nearly $17,000,000 in fraud but investors received about $200,000 in restitution, a disparity he called a gap the fund aims to address.

AARP Nevada's advocacy director Jessica Padron testified in support, saying the measure would assist older Nevadans and others on fixed incomes who are often targeted by investment fraud. \"This fund matters particularly because security fraud is a crisis that disproportionately harms older Nevadans,\" Padron said. \"This is more than good policy. It's the right thing to do.\" She urged passage, noting the sponsor's proposed amendment to delay funding until the next biennium.

Ayala and staff said they submitted a conceptual amendment to move the effective date for funding to the next biennium so the bill would have no immediate fiscal impact and the Legislature could review funding mechanisms before money is appropriated. Committee staff opened public lines for support, opposition and neutral testimony; only AARP Nevada provided live support testimony during the hearing.

The committee held the hearing and took no vote during this session. The chair closed the bill hearing after questions and public-comment opportunities ended.","A bill to create a restitution fund for victims of securities and investment fraud (SB 76) was presented to the committee; sponsors say it would allow the Secretary of State's office to accept gifts and grants immediately while funding would be moved to the next biennium to avoid current fiscal impact.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bill aims to strengthen independence of Department of Indigent Defense Services and change hiring for state public defender

Bill would add hate-crime property damage to victim compensation and maintain targeted victim funds

Secretary of State, advocates back bill to create restitution fund for securities fraud victims