Panel OKs adding 35 positions to SPD

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A state budget committee on Tuesday let stand Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to add 35 positions to the Office of the State Public Defender.

Under the proposal approved by the panel, the 35 positions would be used for trial representation and would include 26 assistant state public defenders. The state’s spending on private attorneys would meanwhile be reduced.

The governor had also proposed the formation of a two-year pilot program to test out a so-called conflicts office in Milwaukee County. The office would provide representation to clients in Milwaukee, Waukesha and Racine counties who would otherwise be represented by private bar attorneys.

The panel, though, voted Tuesday 12-4 to delete that provision, thus saving $284,000 for another purpose.

Under current law, if two State Public Defender clients have conflicts of interest, the State Public Defender must contract with private attorneys to represent at least one of those clients.

The state budget committee also voted to reduce the amount of money the budget would set aside to pay for cybersecurity improvements to the State Public Defender’s Office.

The governor had proposed spending nearly $2 million on the projects. The committee reduced by $672,000 the amount the governor had originally requested in his draft budget, which was released in February.

To become law, the proposed budget still must be passed by the Legislature and signed by Walker.