Conference committee discusses differences in House and Senate versions of bill 26.14 on public defense commission

Members of the conference committee met to reconcile conflicting House and Senate language in bill 26.14, the measure setting governance rules for the state public defense commission and related operations. The meeting centered on differences over removal standards for commissioners and the executive director, who selects the executive director, the definition of the judicial member, and differing implementation dates in each chamber’s version.

The committee chair, Chair Pratt, opened the meeting saying the goal was to “make sure we left this meeting with a full understanding of the 2 different versions of this, of 26.14 that exist now.” Jillian, a staff member who walked members through the bills’ differences, summarized the Senate changes and contrasted them with the House language: “The amendment adopted by the Senate changes the process or adds a process for removal of members by the governor of the Commission.” She explained the Senate language adds a procedural rule that if “the governor removes 3 or more members of the commission within a 12 month period preceding removal, then that changes to only being allowed to remove them for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance.”

Jillian also described differences in the bill’s language about firing standards for…