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State Public Defender cites $83 million budget, hiring gains and remaining staffing gaps
Summary
Idaho's State Public Defender told senators the office's budget rose to about $83 million, contractor rates were standardized to $125/hour, and the agency has hired dozens of attorneys and support staff but still faces hiring gaps in specific districts.
Eric Fredericksen told the committee the office's budget “increased substantially up to $83,000,000,” which enabled salary adjustments and higher contractor rates; he said contractor pay was standardized to $125 per hour. Fredericksen reported that since the funding increase the office hired 34 new attorneys, 13 legal assistants and 11 investigators and opened new institutional offices in Elmore County, Benowa County, Shoshone County and Jerome County.
Fredericksen also flagged persistent gaps: hiring remains difficult in Twin Falls (5th Judicial District) and in the 2nd Judicial District, where there is no institutional office and all cases must be handled via contractors, which requires close monitoring. He estimated establishing an office in the 2nd district could save the state about $1,200,000 and said the office’s next major task is creating a workload standard to complement caseload counts. He additionally said the office absorbed roughly 1,300 uncovered cases on day one of the transition and district defenders and leaders worked court dockets to cover clients.
