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Bill would create public‑defender family‑defense units to speed counsel for parents and children
Summary
Sen. Dennis Lenz’s SB151 directs the Office of State Public Defender to create dedicated units to represent parents and children in dependency‑and‑neglect cases; agency witnesses said state employees can assign counsel in about one day versus six days for private contractors, and the change aims to standardize practice while transitioning contract work into FTEs.
Sen. Dennis Lenz introduced Senate Bill 151, asking the committee to require the director of the Office of State Public Defender (OPD) to establish organizational trial units to provide counsel to parents and children in dependency‑and‑neglect (DN) cases. Lenz said the change would move some work currently done by contract attorneys into salaried OPD units to ensure more consistent, specialized representation.
Kelly Driscoll, family defense bureau chief at OPD, described the practical difference the bill seeks to lock in. "The average time for a client to get an attorney that's assigned through our unit ... is 1 day," she said, noting that contractors typically…
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