Arkansas Public Defender Commission's executive director says more than 30 could face layoffs if request for $1.25M in s

Arkansas Public Defender Commission Executive Director Gregg Parrish explains to Arkansas Legislative Council's Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review subcommittee why he requested $1.25 million in state funds on Monday, August 19, 2024. (Screenshot/Arkansas Legislature)

The Arkansas Public Defender Commission expects to lay off more than 30 attorneys if state lawmakers don’t allocate $1.25 million to continue processing a backlog of more than 5,000 cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, executive director Gregg Parrish said Monday.

The Arkansas Legislative Council will consider the request Friday after its Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review subcommittee declined to take action Monday. Members expressed concerns that the commission might not have done enough with the $4.5 million in federal funds it received two years ago to address the case backlog.

Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, moved to defer the request until next month but changed the motion after Parrish said layoffs would begin this week without the requested funds.

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https://www.yahoo.com/news/arkansas-public-defenders-face-layoffs-210621145.html


Great announcement right after the Attorney General's office spent like $3M adding 26 positions and giving 73 employees raises, just so they can try to stop ballot initiatives.

https://www.magnoliabannernews.com/news/2024/aug/20/185-state-employees-in-executive-branch-receive/ https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/29/house-bill-to-add-26-to-ags-staff/