HB 5031
Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Oregon Public Defense Commission for certain biennial expenses.
Jurisdiction
Oregon
Session
2025 Regular Session
At the request of
(at the request of Oregon Department of Administrative Services)
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Sign in to take actionPublic sentiment
Support
100%
Oppose
0%
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill allocates funds from the state’s General Fund to the Oregon Public Defense Commission for the 2025-2027 biennium. The appropriations are broken down into various divisions of the commission, including executive, compliance, appellate, and trial divisions. The bill also sets limits on the commission’s ability to use fees and other revenue sources to cover expenses, excluding lottery and federal funds. An emergency declaration allows the bill to take effect immediately.
Key provisions
- Allocates $5,874,693 to the Executive Division.
- Allocates $9,752,630 to the Compliance, Audit and Performance Division.
- Allocates $29,959,630 to the Appellate Division.
- Allocates $285,963,447 to the Adult Trial Division.
- Allocates $46,875,439 to the Juvenile Trial Division.
- Allocates $106,515,484 for Preauthorized Expenses.
- Allocates $93,352,705 for Court Mandated Expenses.
- Allocates $39,471,584 to the Trial Representation Division.
Who is affected
- Oregon Public Defense Commission
- State of Oregon Residents (through public defense services)
- Legal Professionals
- Court System
- State Government
Notable changes
- Establishes specific funding amounts for various divisions of the Oregon Public Defense Commission.
- Limits the commission’s use of fees and other revenue sources.
- Declares an emergency, allowing the bill to take effect immediately.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Oregon Department of Administrative Services
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
Supporters of increasing public defense investigator pay to $75/hour emphasize the need for sustainable funding to attract and retain qualified investigators, address the cost of living crisis, and ensure access to justice. Testifiers highlight the importance of private investigators in the court-appointed public defense system, citing their role in saving taxpayers money by reducing the need for attorneys to perform investigative work themselves. Many advocates also stress the value of nonprofit public defense providers, law firms, and consortia in delivering cost-effective public defense services. Additionally, the need for training and mentorship for private investigators to become criminal defense investigators, as well as investments in Oregon's public defense system to address a persistent crisis in access to justice.
Source: Testimony Summaries
Arguments opposed
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