indigent defense fund; eviction cases

Plain English Breakdown

The official text confirms the addition of 'eviction cases' to Section C, but does not provide details on how these funds will be prioritized or distributed compared to criminal case funding.

HB4084: Updating State Aid for Indigent Defense Fund

This bill updates state law so that money from the indigent defense fund can be used to help pay for lawyers representing people who cannot afford them in both criminal and eviction cases.

What This Bill Does

• Amends Arizona Revised Statutes section 11-588 regarding the State Aid to Indigent Defense Fund.
• Updates the purpose of the fund to include processing eviction cases alongside criminal cases for county public defenders, legal defender offices, and contract counsel.
• Requires that funds supplement, not replace, funding levels counties provided in fiscal year 1997-1998 for both criminal and eviction cases.
• Directs the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission to continue administering and allocating money from the fund to each county.
• Exempts monies in the fund from rules about unused appropriations lapsing at the end of a budget period.

Who It Names or Affects

• County public defenders, legal defender offices, and contract indigent defense counsel in Arizona counties.
• The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, which manages the distribution of these funds.
• Individuals who cannot afford lawyers and need representation in criminal or eviction cases.

Terms To Know

Indigent Defense Fund

A state account that holds money to pay for legal services for people who cannot afford their own attorneys in criminal and eviction cases.

Supplement, not supplant

State money must add to existing county funding levels from 1997-1998 and cannot be used as an excuse for counties to reduce their own spending on criminal or eviction cases.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill text does not specify the exact dollar amount of new funding or how much each county will receive.
• The effective date is listed as blank in the provided metadata, so it is unclear when these changes officially begin.
• The source material updates the fund's purpose but does not detail specific procedures for handling eviction cases.

Official Summary Text

HB4084 - indigent defense fund; eviction cases

Current Bill Text

HB4084 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
indigent defense fund; eviction cases

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 4084

Introduced by

Representatives
Hernandez A: Garcia, Hernandez C, Hernandez L, Liguori, Luna-N�jera, Tsosie,
Villegas

AN
ACT

amending section 11-588, arizona revised
statutes; relating to the state aid to indigent defense fund.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 11-588, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
11-588.

State aid to indigent defense fund

A. The state aid to indigent defense fund is
established consisting of monies appropriated to the fund and monies allocated
to the fund pursuant to section 41-2421, subsections B and
J. The purpose of the fund is to provide state aid to the county
public defender, legal defender and contract indigent defense counsel for the
processing of criminal cases.

B. The Arizona criminal justice commission shall
administer the fund. The commission shall allocate monies in the
fund to each county pursuant to section 41-2409, subsection C.

C. All monies distributed or spent from the fund
shall be used to supplement, not supplant, funding at the level provided in
fiscal year 1997-1998 by counties for
the
processing

of
criminal cases
and eviction cases

by the county public defender, legal defender and contract indigent defense
counsel in each county.

D. Monies in the state aid to indigent defense fund
are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of
appropriations and monies allocated pursuant to section 41-2421,
subsections B and J are subject to legislative appropriation.� Any state
general fund monies appropriated to the fund may be spent without further
legislative appropriation.

E. On notice from the commission, the state
treasurer shall invest and divest monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313,
and monies earned from investment shall be credited to the fund.
END_STATUTE