SD HB1252

Transfers responsibility for providing and paying for indigent legal representation from counties and municipalities to the state Commission on Indigent Legal Services, effective July 1, 2028

Expands the Office of Indigent Legal Services' scope to include cases under chapters 26-7A, 26-8A, 26-8B, and 26-8C (child welfare and juvenile proceedings), in addition to existing criminal appeals and habeas corpus cases

Appropriates $27,573,984 from the general fund to reimburse counties for indigent legal services costs, distributed proportionally based on each county's verified expenditures for court-appointed attorneys and public defender offices

Declares an emergency for the appropriation and reimbursement provisions (Sections 7-10), making them effective June 30, 2026, while the transfer of payment responsibility takes effect July 1, 2028

Maintains existing lien provisions against defendants' property for indigent defense costs, with liens on parents of minor children capped at $1,500 plus taxable court costs