Maine House Passes Emergency Bill to Fund Public Defense Services Through the Fiscal Year

Maine lawmakers scrambling to fund public defenders

(The Center Square) — Maine lawmakers are scrambling to approve funding for the state's public defender's office after it ran out of money this week to pay lawyers who represent

House passes emergency public defense funding after agency ran out of money to pay lawyers • Maine Morning Star

The Maine Commission on Public Defense Services in Augusta. Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)The Maine House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported a bill allocating $13 million to the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services on Thursday, one day after the agency warned it would halt payments to lawyers because of a budget shortfall. The bill received broad bipartisan backing, with 120 representatives voting in fav…

Maine House passes emergency bill to fund public defense services through the fiscal year

The bill now heads to the Senate, which had previously voted unanimously in favor.