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New State Public Defender outlines large budget requests after October transition
Summary
The State Public Defender told lawmakers the new agency needs additional one‑time and ongoing appropriations to implement statewide public defense, cover transcript costs after a Supreme Court ruling, onboard counties and raise contract rates and staffing to meet caseloads and statutory duties.
Christopher Lahoset, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, described the components of the newly created State Public Defender and the agency’s fiscal requests to the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee.
Lahoset told the committee the office is a new agency created in “Title 19 Chapter 60 Section 3 of Idaho Code” and that its budget relies primarily on a dedicated State Public Defense Fund created under Idaho Code §57‑8207, which received a $39 million cash transfer from the tax relief fund. He summarized the agency’s FY25 authorized appropriation of about $52,000,015 and described several supplemental and ongoing requests.
“First, the agency requests an additional one‑time supplemental of $2,500,000 in spending authority in the current fiscal year to fully utilize that $39,000,000 cash transfer,” Lahoset said. He said the agency earmarked that amount in part to provide representation under the Child Protective Act (CPA). He also…
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