Appropriation; State Public Defender, Office of.
HB 37 appropriates $4,491,135 from general funds and $728,000 from special funds to cover the operating expenses of Mississippi's Office of State Public Defender for fiscal year 2026 (July 2025-June 2026). The funds support 25 permanent staff positions, indigent parental representation in abuse/neglect cases, youth defender services, and a rural public defense pilot program. It also allocates $60,000 to support Hinds County's Public Defender office using reappropriated funds. The bill requires performance reporting on case processing targets and mandates that all spending comply with state budget laws. This is a funding measure, not a policy change, directly affecting the State Public Defender's office and the clients it serves.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
May 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced May 29, 2025
Signed Jun 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
As Passed the lower
→
Current version
·
1 edit
MINOR
The bill title and status were updated to reflect that it has been sent to the Governor for final approval, indicating the legislative process has moved past the House stage. No substantive policy changes, funding amounts, or eligibility criteria were altered in this version.
TECHNICAL
The bill's status description was changed from 'As Passed the House' to 'As Sent to Governor', reflecting its current position in the legislative process.
Floor votes · Senate May 29, 2025 · House May 28, 2025
How they voted
32–14
Passed · 13 other
Total votes 59
May 29, 2025
D
Democratic20
50% Yea
R
Republican39
56% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
13
Key actions
6
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Jun 4, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor
executive
May 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass
upper
May 29, 2025
Committee
Referred To Appropriations
upper
May 29, 2025
Introduced
Transmitted To Senate
lower
May 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed As Amended
lower
May 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
May 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass
lower
May 28, 2025
Committee
Referred To Appropriations A
lower
1 primary · 7 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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