Prosecutors, Defenders Could See Pay Cut During Impasse
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
About a quarter of Illinois’ 102 counties will stop paying local prosecutors and public defenders within one or two months, a state’s attorneys group has said.
LaSalle County State’s Attorney Brian J. Towne, chairman of the appellate prosecutor office, told a House committee this week that funds for many local public lawyers will dry up in 30 to 60 days if the state budget impasse continues.
And that could lead to slow-downs in court cases and speedy-trial issues in those counties.
“Without the funds from the (state) back to our respective counties, justice will not exist in any of those counties,” Towne told the committee.
State law provides that two-thirds of state’s attorney and defender salaries are to be paid by the state through the Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund, a separate pool of money from the taxpayer-supported General Revenue Fund.
Counties pay the remaining third of the salaries. Prosecutors and defenders are still technically county employees. Even in past years where the state budget has stalled, their checks haven’t necessarily been reduced or delayed because local treasuries could foot the bill temporarily and get state reimbursements later.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
About a quarter of Illinois’ 102 counties will stop paying local prosecutors and public defenders within one or two months, a state’s attorneys group has said.
LaSalle County State’s Attorney Brian J. Towne, chairman of the appellate prosecutor office, told a House committee this week that funds for many local public lawyers will dry up in 30 to 60 days if the state budget impasse continues.
And that could lead to slow-downs in court cases and speedy-trial issues in those counties.
“Without the funds from the (state) back to our respective counties, justice will not exist in any of those counties,” Towne told the committee.
State law provides that two-thirds of state’s attorney and defender salaries are to be paid by the state through the Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund, a separate pool of money from the taxpayer-supported General Revenue Fund.
Counties pay the remaining third of the salaries. Prosecutors and defenders are still technically county employees. Even in past years where the state budget has stalled, their checks haven’t necessarily been reduced or delayed because local treasuries could foot the bill temporarily and get state reimbursements later.
Read more in our daily News Update...