Oregon lawmakers hear budget overview as Public Defense Commission seeks staffing, rate and IT investments

House Public Safety Subcommittee co-chair Broadman opened an informational hearing on House Bill 5,031 on March 17, 2025, to review the Oregon Public Defense Commission's budget request and agency progress.

The Legislative Fiscal Office analyst John told the committee, “The agency's current service level budget for the 2025–27 biennium totals 645,200,000.0 total funds, which includes 624,400,000.0 general funds and 20,800,000.0 other funds.” That figure, he said, includes 172 positions (171.8 FTE) and reflects a current-service-level shortfall the agency expects to cover as economic and caseload forecasts are updated.

The hearing focused on three linked challenges: a statewide shortage of public defense capacity that the commission calls the unrepresented persons crisis; implementation of workload and hourly‑rate reforms enacted in 2023; and the agency's transition from the judicial to the executive branch, including procurement and IT work needed to stand up a statewide financial and case management system.

Susan Mandeburg, vice chair of the Oregon Public Defense Commission, said the commission's analysis shows the reforms and national standards cannot be implemented under current service…