H-1253.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1857
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State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Representatives Clements, Doumit, Cox, Dunshee, Grant and Mulliken
Read first time 02/07/2001. Referred to Committee on Appropriations.
AN ACT Relating to county public defense services; and adding a new section to chapter 10.101 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 10.101 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Subject to legislative appropriation, quarterly an amount equivalent to one hundred dollars for each case for which an indigent person is provided public defense services for a criminal matter in the previous fiscal quarter statewide shall be transferred from the general fund to the criminal public defense account, to be administered by the director of the office of public defense.
(2) In carrying out the purposes of this section, all counties of the state are eligible to participate in the distribution of the proceeds of the criminal public defense account. The share coming to each county shall be an amount equivalent to one hundred dollars for each case for which an indigent person is provided public defense services for a criminal matter at the expense of that county. Moneys distributed under this section may only be used by counties for public defense services.
(3) The criminal public defense account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from transfers or appropriations must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for reimbursement to counties for public defense services provided at county expense. Only the director of the office of public defense established in chapter 2.70 RCW or the director's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.
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