The House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code heard SB 488 sponsored by Representative J. Young regarding public defenders. The bill authorizes the Indiana public defender commission to create guidelines and requirements pertaining to a multicounty public defender’s office and authorizes a county executive to adopt an ordinance that allows the county to enter into an interlocal agreement with one or more counties for the purpose of creating a multicounty public defender’s office and providing legal services to indigent persons located in the areas subject to the interlocal agreement. The bill further prohibits certain persons from acting as a member of a joint board and requires the auditor of one county belonging to an interlocal agreement to receive, distribute, and account for all monies distributed to a multicounty public defender’s office.
Two amendments were taken by consent. The first amendment clarified the date when the new commission would take effect and made corrections and additions to mirror the language for single county public defender boards. The second amendment made additional technical corrections. A representative of the Indiana Public Defender Commission testified in support of the bill. The amended bill passed 12-0.
Read the bill at: http://www.iga.in.gov/legislative/2019/bills/senate/488.