OLYMPIA, Wash. – A proposed bill in Washington State to establish a loan repayment program for public defense attorneys and prosecutors received a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Monday, January 20.
Under Senate Bill 5027, eligible attorneys will receive up to $20,000 per year in loan repayment assistance, with a lifetime maximum of $120,000 per participant.
Yakima County Commissioner Ladon Linde attended the hearing to testify on behalf of the bill.
She said the county has tried offering increased pay and sign-on bonuses to attract public defenders and attorneys but it’s not enough to compete with the private sector.
“The lack of public service attorneys on both the defense and prosecution side is creating the biggest bottleneck we have in our criminal justice system here in Yakima County,” LaDon Linde, District 3 Commissioner, Yakima County.
Linde pointed out that when he worked at a local hospital with medical staff, a loan repayment program was an effective tool to bring doctors into underserved areas.
Senate Bill 5027 remains in the committee stage with a chance to move forward to a further date for executive action.
