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Ohio Public Defender seeks sustained county reimbursement and backs a Northwest Regional Hub pilot
Summary
State Public Defender Elizabeth Miller testified in support of maintaining OPD operating funds, increasing county reimbursement to meet rising indigent defense costs, removing an hourly cap for appointed counsel in underserved counties, and implementing a Northwest Regional Hub pilot to share staff across smaller counties.
State Public Defender Elizabeth Miller told the House Judiciary Committee the Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) seeks sustained funding to meet constitutional obligations for indigent defense and asked the committee to support statutory changes that would ease delivery of defense services in underserved counties.
Miller outlined OPD’s role: direct representation for indigent adults and youth at trial, appellate and post-conviction stages; oversight and reimbursement for county-appointed counsel; and training and mitigation services. She said the office employs roughly 200 staff across five sites and that 84% of OPD’s operating budget covers payroll. Miller asked the General Assembly to maintain an operating appropriation set in the introduced budget (described in testimony as $40 million across the biennium) and to support an…
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