AP Wire

La. Senate to consider reworking indigent defense spending

by The Associated Press

The proposal would require at least 65 percent of the state public defender board's financing to flow to local indigent defenders. That could steer money away from appeals of death sentences for poor defendants.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An effort to reshuffle how Louisiana spends its money on indigent defense is edging closer to final legislative passage.

The proposal by Rep. Sherman Mack, an Albany Republican, would require at least 65 percent of the state public defender board's financing to flow to local indigent defenders. That could steer money away from appeals of death sentences for poor defendants.

A Senate judiciary committee voted 4-1 Tuesday to send Mack's House-approved bill to the full Senate.

Some local public defenders have stopped taking cases because of money shortages, prompting lawsuits.

Bill supporters say the local public defenders need the money and too much money is spent on capital defense cases by the board. Opponents say more dollars are needed overall to pay for indigent defense.