AZ HB2001

Amends Section 11-588 of Arizona Revised Statutes to modify the State Aid to Indigent Defense Fund established to support county public defenders and contract indigent defense counsel.

Specifies that the sole purpose of the fund is to provide state aid for processing criminal cases by county public defenders, legal defenders, and contract indigent defense counsel.

Requires the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission to distribute monies from the fund to each county annually pursuant to Section 41-2409, subsection C, for the sole purpose of supporting criminal case processing.

Mandates that all monies from the fund be used to supplement, not supplant, county funding at levels provided in fiscal year 1997-1998 for indigent criminal defense services.

Exempts monies in the fund from lapsing provisions, allows state general fund appropriations to be spent without further legislative appropriation, and directs the State Treasurer to invest fund monies with earnings credited back to the fund.