Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek made a request for changes to a state Senate bill that would overhaul Oregon’s public defender system, according to a letter she sent to the state Senate Committee on Rules.
Kotek is requesting changes to Senate Bill 337 (pdf), which addresses the issue of leaving individuals accused of crimes without public defense attorneys.
Senate Bill 337 would move the Office of Public Defense Services—the state agency responsible for public defenders—out of the judiciary department and into the executive branch. It would also change how Oregon provides lawyers to people who can’t afford them. Instead of contracting with private defense firms, the state would hire its own public defenders, who would be state employees….