SF 1340

1st Engrossment - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to public defense; requiring a report to the legislature on public defender
services in the Fourth Judicial District.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. PUBLIC DEFENDER STUDY AND REPORT REQUIRED.

The State Board of Public Defense and the Hennepin County Board of
Commissioners shall jointly prepare a report to the legislature on the history of the
funding of the public defender's office in the Fourth Judicial District provided by the state
and Hennepin County. The report must compare the costs and services provided by the
Fourth Judicial District Public Defender's Office to the costs and services provided by the
state Board of Public Defense in all other public defender district offices. The report must
detail the amount of funding provided by Hennepin County to the Fourth Judicial District
Public Defender's Office and the amount necessary for the state to assume the full costs of
the public defender duties in the Fourth Judicial District as in the other judicial districts
throughout the state. The report must also recommend specific legislation that would
provide for an appropriate resolution of the state and local funding of the Fourth Judicial
District Public Defender's Office. The report must be completed by October 1, 2007, and
be submitted to the commissioner of finance, the chairs and ranking minority members of
the senate and house committees and divisions with jurisdiction over finance, judiciary,
judiciary finance, and public safety finance, and the house Ways and Means Committee.