House Bill 102 seeks to revise the laws governing the Office of State Public Defender by establishing a clear distinction between conflict and non-conflict regional offices. The bill introduces new responsibilities for the Conflict Defender Division Administrator, including the development of a regional strategic plan for conflict defender services and ensuring compliance with standards for capital cases. It also updates the roles of the Appellate Defender Division Administrator and the Central Services Division, which will now manage contracted services and agency training efforts. Notably, the bill removes the requirement for the Director to establish specific standards for child abuse and neglect matters and mandates that the Director must be an attorney licensed to practice law in the state.

Additionally, the bill amends various sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to reflect these changes, including the introduction of new titles for division personnel, such as Regional Public Defenders and Managing Public Defenders. It streamlines the structure of the public defender system by deleting the training coordinator and contract manager positions, which are replaced by the central services division. The bill emphasizes the need for competitive contracting processes and prohibits awarding contracts based solely on the lowest bid, while also requiring the office of the state public defender to submit biennial reports on operational policies and performance metrics to enhance transparency and accountability.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(1): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(2): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(3): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(4): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(5): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(6): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(7): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(8): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1(9): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_1: 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_X(1): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_X(2): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_X(3): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_X(4): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_X(5): 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401
HB0102_X: 18-4-132, 47-1-104, 47-1-105, 47-1-119, 47-1-125, 47-1-201, 47-1-202, 47-1-215, 47-1-301, 47-1-401