For the 20th and 30th judicial districts in Davidson and Shelby counties, present law requires the state to pay, in equal quarterly installments, to the county or metropolitan government that has a local public defender, an amount annually appropriated for that purpose. Such amount must not be less than the amount appropriated in fiscal year 1992-1993. In addition to the amount appropriated in 1992-1993, the base level of state support on July 1, 2013, must be adjusted to reflect the percent of change in the average consumer price index (all items-city average) as published by the U.S. department of labor, bureau of labor statistics, between that figure for the calendar year 2011 and the calendar year 2012. Each succeeding July 1, a similar adjustment must be made, based on the percent of change in the average consumer price index between the two calendar years preceding July 1 of the year in which the adjustment is made.
However, present law prohibits an adjustment provided in the above provisions from exceeding 5 percent per annum. The base level of state support may be adjusted accordingly each year to meet state budget requirements or to reflect changes to programs, workloads, or other operational costs. This bill deletes this present law and prohibits, instead, the adjustment from exceeding the greater of 5 percent per annum or the percentage increase provided for the state public defender and district attorney general offices during the fiscal year for which the adjustment was made.
On July 1, 2024, this bill requires a supplemental adjustment to the base level of support for the 20th and 30th judicial districts to be implemented in an amount required to ensure that those districts can establish pay parity with the pay scale of the district public defenders conference where the local salary scale is less than the state salary scale. Annually thereafter, the base level of state support for the 20th and 30th judicial districts may be adjusted accordingly to establish pay parity, meet state budget requirements, or to reflect changes to programs, workloads, or other operational costs. However, the increase in any year must equal, at a minimum, the total percentage salary increase, including cost-of-living adjustments, afforded to support state public defender and district attorney general offices.
ON APRIL 18, 2024, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2730, AS AMENDED.
AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, for the twentieth (Davidson County) and thirtieth (Shelby County) judicial districts, require the state to pay, in equal quarterly installments, to the county or metropolitan government which has a local public defender, an amount annually appropriated for that purpose. Such amount must not be less than the amount appropriated in fiscal year 1992-1993. In addition to the amount appropriated in 1992-1993 the base level of state support on July 1, 2013, must be adjusted to reflect the percent of change in the average consumer price index (all items-city average) as published by the United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics, between that figure for the calendar year 2011 and the calendar year 2012. Each succeeding July 1, a similar adjustment must be made, based on the percent of change in the average consumer price index between the two calendar years preceding July 1 of the year in which the adjustment is made. The adjustment provided for in this section must not exceed the greater of 5 percent per annum or the percentage increase provided for the state public defender and district attorney general offices during the fiscal year for which the adjustment was made.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 8-14-110
Amended with SA1007 -- 04/18/2024: 8-14-110