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Lawmakers hear widespread call to study indigent defense funding and delivery in SB 5,912

Washington State Senate Law and Justice Committee · January 13, 2026

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Summary

Local officials, counties, public defense groups and the Office of Public Defense told the committee that a shortage of public defenders and disparate regional capacity justify reinstating an Indigent Defense Task Force to recommend reforms; witnesses warned state funding will be necessary to avoid shifting costs to counties.

Senate Bill 5,912 would reinstate an Indigent Defense Task Force to review Washington’s public defense delivery, summarize services, review staffing and workload standards, and recommend improvements by Jan. 1, 2028.

Yakima County Commissioner LaDon Linde and Vicki Baker, Yakima city manager, described acute local fiscal pressures: Linde said Yakima County faces structural budget shortfalls and a critical shortage of qualified public defenders, and Baker said the city incurs costs approaching $2 million annually to support indigent defense. Linde stressed the bill’s mandate to consider recruitment in rural and underserved areas and to ensure Eastern Washington representation on the task force.

Ramona Brandes and representatives of the Washington Defender Association urged amendments to ensure the task force includes lived‑experience members, a range of delivery‑model leaders, and attention to caseload standards and meaningful data reporting. County and association witnesses, while supportive of a task force, repeatedly emphasized that prior studies repeatedly reached the same conclusion — the state underfunds public defense — and urged prompt legislative action to fund services rather than relying solely on study.

Office of Public Defense and Benton County public defense representatives said the task force can be conducted efficiently but that modest administrative support (OPD estimated about $50,000 for a project manager in testimony) may be needed to coordinate research and outreach. Lawmakers closed the hearing after substantive testimony and indicated further work on bill membership and scope could follow.