A county seeking reimbursement for indigent defense costs must follow this section and submit required materials to the Commission on Public Advocacy.
(1) Any county which intends to request reimbursement for a portion of its expenditures for its indigent defense system must comply with this section. (2) In order to assist the Commission on Public Advocacy in its budgeting process for determining future reimbursement amounts, after July 1, 2002, and before July 15, 2002, and for each year thereafter in which the county intends to seek reimbursement for a portion of its expenditures for indigent defense services in felony cases for the next fiscal year, the county shall present to the Commission on Public Advocacy (a) a plan, in a format approved by the commission, describing how the county intends to provide indigent defense services in felony cases, (b) a statement of intent declaring that the county intends to comply with the standards set by the commission for felony cases and that the county intends to apply for reimbursement, and (c) a projection of the total dollar amount of expenditures for that county's indigent defense services in felony cases for the next fiscal year. (3) The commission may conduct whatever investigation is necessary and may require certifications by key individuals in the criminal justice system, in order to determine if the county is in compliance with the standards. If a county is certified by the commission as having met the standards established by the commission for felony cases, the county shall be eligible for reimbursement according to the following schedule and procedures: The county clerk of the county seeking reimbursement may submit, on a quarterly basis, a certified request to the commission, for reimbursement from funds appropriated by the Legislature, for an amount equal to one-fourth of the county's actual expenditures for indigent defense services in felony cases. (4) Upon certification by the county clerk of the amount of the expenditures, and a determination by the commission that the request is in compliance with the standards set by the commission for felony cases, the commission shall quarterly authorize an amount of reimbursement to the county as set forth in this section. (5) If the appropriated funds are insufficient in any quarter to meet the amount needed for full payment of all county reimbursements for net expenditures that are certified for that quarter, the commission shall pay the counties their pro rata share of the remaining funds based upon the percentage of the county's certified request in comparison to the total certified requests for that quarter. (6) For purposes of section 13-519, for any year in which a county first seeks reimbursement from funds appropriated by the Legislature or has previously qualified for reimbursement and is seeking additional reimbursement for improving its indigent criminal defense program, the last prior year's total of restricted funds shall be the last prior year's total of restricted funds plus any increased amount budgeted for indigent defense services that is required to develop a plan and meet the standards necessary to qualify for reimbursement of expenses from funds appropriated by the Legislature. This subsection applies to fiscal years beginning prior to July 1, 2025. History: Laws 2001, LB 335, § 6; Laws 2002, LB 876, § 69; Laws 2024, First Spec. Sess., LB34, § 17.