House Bill 1275 Summary

• Creates a nine-member Public Defender Oversight Council with representatives appointed by the Mississippi Association of Supervisors, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and Chief Justice to establish and monitor standards for indigent defense statewide.

• Establishes the Indigent Appeals Division within the Office of the State Public Defender to provide appellate representation for indigent felony convicts and adjudicated delinquent juveniles.

• Creates a District Public Defender position in each circuit court district, appointed by the State Defender on recommendation of a selection panel, responsible for oversight of indigent defense delivery in that district.

• Revises compensation structures for public defenders and assistant public defenders to not exceed 90% of district attorney salaries, subject to standards set by the Oversight Council.

• Eliminates the Capital Defense Counsel Fund and Capital Post-Conviction Counsel Fund, directing funding through state appropriations, and shifts private counsel appointment authority from courts to the Public Defender Oversight Council for capital cases.