(STATEHOUSE) — State Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) has been reappointed by Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) to serve on the Indiana Public Defender Commission.
The commission consists of 11 members, including four members from the Indiana General Assembly, and meets quarterly to authorize reimbursements to counties and discuss issues related to indigent criminal defense.
The commission is responsible for:
- Making recommendations to the Indiana Supreme Court concerning standards for indigent defense services provided for defendants against whom the state has sought the death sentence, including:
- Determining indigency and eligibility for legal representation;
- Selection and qualifications of attorneys to represent indigent defendants at public expense;
- Determining conflicts of interest; and
- Investigative, clerical, and other support services necessary to provide adequate legal representation.
- Adopting guidelines and standards for indigent defense services under which counties are eligible for reimbursement, including:
- Determining indigency and the eligibility for legal representation;
- The issuance and enforcement of orders requiring defendants to pay for the costs of court-appointed legal representation;
- The use and expenditure of funds in the county supplemental public defender services fund;
- Qualifications of attorneys to represent indigent defendants at public expense; and
- Minimum and maximum caseloads of public defender offices and contract attorneys.
- Making recommendations concerning the delivery of indigent defense services in Indiana.
- Making an annual report to the governor, the General Assembly, and the Indiana Supreme Court on the operation of the public defense fund.
More information about the Indiana Public Defender Commission can be found here.
Sen. Koch, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, serves Senate District 44, which includes all or parts of Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence and Monroe counties. He is an attorney with the law firm Koch & McAuley P.C., with offices in Bedford and Bloomington.
