House Appropriations Passes Indigent Defense Fund Reform Bill

Rep. Mark Cardenas’ House Bill 2001, which requires monies in the Indigent Defense Fund to be used solely for the purposes of indigent defense, passed the House Appropriations Committee on Monday. The bill specifies the sole purpose of the Indigent Defense Fund is to provide state aid to the county public defender in criminal cases.

The Indigent Defense Fund (IDF) is administered by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC). It provides state aid to indigent defendants of criminal cases.

Money in the fund comes from a number of sources, including:

• 20.53% of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals filing fees; and
• 14.66 % of a 7% penalty assessed on fines penalties, and forfeitures imposed by the courts for criminal and civil motor vehicle violations (A.R.S §§ 12-111.01 & 41-2421).

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