Louisiana top public defender to seek new funding after audit shows deficits – [your]NEWS

Original article can be found here. (The Center Square) – Louisiana's top public defender says the state's indigent defense system needs a new source of stable funding after a Legislative Auditor report found 12 district public defender offices spent more than they received during the last fiscal year. The 1st Judicial District Public Defender's Office in Caddo Parish spent $101,448 more than it received in fiscal 2025, while the 26th Judicial District, serving Bossier and Webster parishes, spent $98,776 more than its revenue, according to the report. Both offices ended the year with positive fund balances. Caddo had $1.23 million remaining, while Bossier-Webster had $571,282. The deficits were not unique to North Louisiana. The Legislative Auditor found 12 of the state's 42 district public defender offices reported expenditures greater than revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2025. Every office reporting a deficit still had a positive ending fund balance. The largest deficit was reported by the 24th Judicial District in Jefferson Parish, where expenditures exceeded revenue by more than $1 million. Rémy Voisin Starns, Louisiana's state public defender, says the numbers point to a broader funding problem rather than simply offices spending beyond their means. Starns said the system's primary funding source, conviction and user fees, is unstable and insufficient and has contributed to recurring deficit spending among district offices. 'I do believe that a new funding stream is necessary to ensure stable, reliable, and adequate funding for the 42 district offices of the district public defender,' Starns said in his response to the Legislative Auditor. Starns said his office plans to seek legislation creating that new funding stream during the upcoming legislative session. The comments give the report a forward-looking component as Louisiana lawmakers prepare to consider how the state pays for public defense. System built on multiple funding sources Louisiana's 42 district public defenders reported a combined $79.8 million in revenue during fiscal 2025. The Office of the State Public Defender distributed $38.49 million in state funding to the districts, accounting for nearly half of the reported revenue. The offices reported $74.9 million in combined expenditures. Starns said conviction and user fees remained the largest individual source of revenue for district public defender offices, but their reliability has been a longstanding concern. The funding issue is not new. A previous analysis of Louisiana's public defender system found that 11 of 41 offices could not cover their costs during the 2020-21 budget cycle. The latest report shows a similar problem remains: Some offices continue to spend more than they bring in during a fiscal year, even while maintaining reserves. The Legislative Auditor recommended that the Office of the State Public Defender continue monitoring each district's financial position and ensure expenditures do not exceed available funds. The auditor also recommended written corrective action plans when a district's fund balance falls below 15% of annual expenditures. Starns said his office agrees with the recommendations and is expanding its financial oversight. His office has added compliance and auditing personnel and plans to conduct more regular reviews of district revenues and expenditures, according to his response. The state public defender's office oversees Louisiana's 64-parish public defense system, which represents nearly 88% of people accused of crimes statewide, according to the office. The Legislature will ultimately decide whether to create a new funding source and how that funding would be structured. For now, the latest financial reports show most district public defender offices remained financially solvent. The Legislative Auditor cautioned that its work did not constitute an audit or review of the public defenders' financial statements and did not provide an opinion or assurance on the underlying financial information.