HB 4620 Summary

• Creates the Michigan Indigent Juvenile Defense Department (MIJDD) within the state court administrative office to establish minimum standards and oversee delivery of indigent defense services to juveniles under 18 in delinquency proceedings.

• Establishes standards for determining indigency, including rebuttable presumptions for juveniles receiving public assistance, living in public housing, or earning less than 140% of federal poverty guideline.

• Requires each indigent juvenile defense system to submit compliance plans within 180 days of approved standards and annually by October 1, with the state funding any costs exceeding the system's baseline "local share" through grants.

• Implements dispute resolution through mediation followed by circuit court review if parties cannot agree on plan approval, cost analysis, or compliance issues.

• Limits lawsuits against government entities by prohibiting causes of action for failure to comply with statutory duties unless the failure constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel under constitutional standards.