WA HB1592

Beginning in fiscal year 2026, the state assumes 50% of public defense costs for counties and cities based on their five-year average expenditures (looking back from fiscal year 2024), with the state covering all costs exceeding that average

Counties with population density below 50 persons per square mile may request the Office of Public Defense assume responsibility for providing some or all public defense services in their jurisdiction

Public defense attorneys must track and report hours worked on each case, and counties must designate a public defense coordinator with public defense experience to serve as primary contact with the state office

County funds freed up by state funding must be used for specified purposes including pretrial diversion programs, alternatives to incarceration, reentry services, behavioral health facilities, and affordable housing development

Office of Public Defense must report to the legislature by December 1, 2026 with recommendations to reduce caseloads and backlogs, track unrepresented defendants due to lawyer shortages, and increase retention of experienced public defenders in high-need counties