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Defender General tells Appropriations FY27 holds flat as contractor costs and caseload pressures grow
Summary
Office of the Defender General told the House Appropriations Committee the governor’s FY27 recommendation maintains current service levels but does not fully address rising contractor costs, probation-violation driven caseload increases, or staffing and retention challenges for assigned counsel.
Matt Valerio, the Defender General, told the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 5 that the governor’s FY27 budget “continues to provide the current service level” for public defense but leaves key cost pressures unaddressed. Valerio said the office manages roughly 120 contracts and about 80 state employees and provides both primary public defense services and the assigned-counsel/conflict system.
Valerio outlined long-running cost pressures for the office, saying specialized services have become substantially more expensive since the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are paying rates from other states as much as $600 an hour,” he said, describing telehealth competency evaluations and how those rates pushed local…
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