The Senate on June 26 adopted the conference committee report on House Bill 2614, a measure that alters the commission that oversees public defense services and clarifies accountability for attorneys and consortiums that provide public defense.

Senator Lori Brzezinski, who brought the measure to the floor, said the bill transfers the commission into the executive branch while preserving its independence and protections for commission members. The governor will appoint the commission’s executive director with statutory consultation requirements and will have removal authority for just cause. The bill removes a sunset for consortium providers and requires registration for all individuals who provide public defense services so the state can hold individual attorneys accountable to commission standards.

Senator Solman, a former co-chair of a ways-and-means subcommittee on public safety, said the state faces an “unprecedented crisis” in public defense with thousands awaiting attorney assignments and argued the bill’s removal of the consortium sunset is “an extremely practical and wise solution.” Supporters described the measure as a compromise intended to improve oversight while preserving effective service models.

Senator Brzezinski closed by saying the bill would “hold each and every attorney who does public defense services in the state accountable to the state, and that we can ensure that individuals have their constitutional rights protected by having access to attorneys when they're eligible.” The clerk later announced House Bill 2614 B had received the constitutional majority and was cleared.