Post by Logan on Apr 8, 2016 4:37:06 GMT -6
A Thursday debate on public defender funding had one lawmaker questioning the cost of Louisiana’s death penalty.
Rep. Steve Pylant, R-Winnsboro, said he is not sure it justifies the about $10 million that capital defense services receives annually.
Pylant spoke during discussion about a proposal to reconfigure the state Public Defender Board and specifically allocate 65 percent of its annual budget to local public defenders. The House Criminal Justice Committee voted 10-2 to send the proposal to the full Louisiana House for debate.
House Bill 818, brought by Rep. Sherman Mack, R-Albany, would reduce the 15-member board to 11 in a move to make it more effective and guarantee a funding threshold for local defenders “doing the ground work,” he said. He said his proposal was not a criticism of the current board.
Lawmakers debated the board’s funding requirements at a time when strained operating budgets have led some parishes to restrict indigent defense operations under the threat of layoffs and shuttered courts.
Read more: theadvocate.com/news/15421935-123/bill-to-guarantee-public-defender-funding-advances-in-louisiana-house
Rep. Steve Pylant, R-Winnsboro, said he is not sure it justifies the about $10 million that capital defense services receives annually.
Pylant spoke during discussion about a proposal to reconfigure the state Public Defender Board and specifically allocate 65 percent of its annual budget to local public defenders. The House Criminal Justice Committee voted 10-2 to send the proposal to the full Louisiana House for debate.
House Bill 818, brought by Rep. Sherman Mack, R-Albany, would reduce the 15-member board to 11 in a move to make it more effective and guarantee a funding threshold for local defenders “doing the ground work,” he said. He said his proposal was not a criticism of the current board.
Lawmakers debated the board’s funding requirements at a time when strained operating budgets have led some parishes to restrict indigent defense operations under the threat of layoffs and shuttered courts.
Read more: theadvocate.com/news/15421935-123/bill-to-guarantee-public-defender-funding-advances-in-louisiana-house