Legislature approves multimillion-dollar supplementals, enhancements for Idaho State Public Defender

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on March 24 approved a set of supplemental appropriations and a larger enhancement package to expand funding and staff for the Office of the State Public Defender.

The committee approved a one‑time supplemental of $2,500,000 from the Public Defense Fund to align the Child Protective Act appropriation with available cash transfers; a one‑time general‑fund supplemental of $390,200 to cover court‑ordered transcript costs after an Idaho Supreme Court ruling; and a one‑time general‑fund supplemental of $3,799,900 to raise contracted attorney compensation and cover personnel and contracting costs in the current fiscal year. The committee later approved a set of FY2026 enhancements that together add roughly $32.38 million and 17.96 full‑time equivalents for ongoing staffing, facility onboarding and higher contracted‑attorney rates.

Why it matters: the state recently assumed new public defense responsibilities and the funding changes are intended both to comply with a court ruling on transcript costs and to address shortages of qualified contract counsel and staff needed to meet constitutional obligations for indigent defense.

Most importan…