Lawmakers introduce SPD pay progression bill

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Legislators introduced a bill Wednesday to establish a pay progression system for assistant State Public Defenders.

The proposal is the same 17-step, merit-based system that is being sought for assistant district attorneys through separate legislation.

According to Senate Bill 479, each step of the pay progression plan is equal to 1/17th of the difference between the lowest and highest hourly range for assistant state public defenders contained in the compensation plan.

Assistant public defenders with at least one year of continuous service as of July 1, 2013, would get a pay bump to the level immediately above their current salary. Newer public defenders would get a raise after serving at least 12 months.

Each July, prosecutors would be eligible for additional raises at the discretion of their supervisor. Increases cannot exceed 10 percent of a public defender’s base pay during any fiscal year.

“We looked at the legislation as being a staff retention issue and parity issue,” Randy Kraft, SPD Public Information Officer, said.

New assistant public defenders and assistant district attorneys start at about $49,000. Under the current system, they can earn about $5,000 more after 12 years of service, according to Kraft.

The uneven pay scale has resulted in attorneys in both professions fleeing for the private sector.

“This would have a more definite and prescribed system for predicting your salary looking into the future,” Kraft said, “thereby allowing somebody to make a career out of serving the criminal justice system.”

The legislation was referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operation.

Both the Senate (SB 479) and Assembly (AB 488) versions of the assistant district attorney legislation received public hearings in committee and are awaiting executive committee action.

The prosecutor raises would cost the state $1,051,117 annually, starting fiscal year 2014.