SB14

Senate Bill 14 is a fiscal appropriation bill for the Arkansas Public Defender Commission for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. The bill outlines the maximum number of authorized regular and part-time staff across several divisions, including State Operations, the Trial Public Defender Office, the Ombudsman Program, and the Commission for Parent Counsel. It allocates funds from the State Central Services Fund for personal services, matching expenses, operating expenses, professional fees, and specific programs like bail bond representation and parent counsel reimbursements. Additionally, the bill authorizes cash-funded positions and provides special language regarding the authority of the Commission for Parent Counsel to contract with attorneys for indigent parent representation in dependency-neglect cases. The legislation serves to ensure the operational and personnel funding for the state's public defense system during the 2024-2025 fiscal cycle.