OLYMPIA, Wash.- A policy which would fund additional Criminal Defense Training for public defenders passed in the Washington State Senate on Feb. 9.
SB 5780, which will now advance to the State House, delegates state resources to the Office of Public Defense, and requires the introduction of additional training for law students interested in becoming public defenders in rural areas.
The reasoning for the bill is the low number of lawyers currently choosing to become public defenders, especially in rural areas around the Evergreen State.
Cosponsored by Senators Nikki Torres (R) and Manka Dhingra (D), lawmakers from both sides of the aisle argued that the bill addresses an urgent problem for Washington’s judicial process in a Senate floor debate on Friday.
The policy was passed unanimously and is likely to have broad support in the State House.
