New State Public Defender office seeks millions to staff operations, cover transcripts and onboard counties

At a Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee hearing, Legislative Services Office analyst Christopher Lahoset and State Public Defender Eric Fredericksen outlined the budget and staffing needs of the newly created State Public Defender office.

Why it matters: The office was created by statute and funded, in part, with a $39 million transfer from the tax relief fund into a dedicated State Public Defense Fund. The agency says statutory cash transfers require matching legislative appropriation before funds can be spent; the agency and the governor recommended a combination of one-time and ongoing appropriations to fully use the enacted cash transfer and to cover unanticipated costs that became clear after the office began operations on Oct. 1.

Lahoset said the State Public Defender was created by statute (Title 19, Chapter 60, Section 3 of the Idaho Code). He presented the agency’s budget structure, noting the office had 29 vacant positions in the budget plan and a personnel budget of about $37.7 million. The analyst said the agency’s base appropriation after initial enhancements is just under $49 million and the current fiscal-year total authorized appropriation…