Public Defender Board

Name Public Defender Board
Contact Person Remy Voisin Starns - State Public Defender
Mailing Address 301 Main Street, Suite 700
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Baton Rouge, LA 70825
Phone Number 225-219-9305
Fax Number 225-219-9326
Board Email agwin@lpdb.la.gov
Website www.lpdb.la.gov
Legal Authority La. R. S. 15:146, et al
Year Created 2007
Organizational Placement Governor's Office
Purpose/Function In response to the Legislature's mandates under both the United States and Louisiana Constitutions to provide qualified and competent counsel to indigents, it created the Louisiana Public Defender Board. The Board is to ensure that adequate public funding of the right to counsel is provided and managed in a cost-effective and fiscally responsible manner. The Board provides for the supervision, administration and delivery of a uniform system for securing and compensating qualified counsel for indigents in all courts in this state.
Number of Entity Members: Number Authorized: 11
Number Currently Serving: 11
Number of Entity Meetings: Actual number in prior year: 5
Estimated number in current year: 5
The Entity is:
Active   Inactive   Not fully organized   Disbanded   Never fully organized
Do members receive per diem, salaries, and/or travel expense reimbursements?
Yes   No
Excluding member per diem, salaries, and travel expense reimbursements, does the entity receive or expend funds?
Yes   No
Entity Member Per Diem:
  Amount Authorized: $160      per meeting   per meeting day   per day spent on board business   None

Total entity member per diem:
  Prior year actual: $3,664.00
  Current year budgeted: $113,549.00
Entity Member Salaries:
  Prior year actual: $0.00
  Current year budgeted: $0.00
Entity Member Travel Expense Reimbursement:
  Prior year actual: $385.00
  Current year budgeted: $15,000.00
Number and Type of Authorized Employee Positions:
Classified: 8
Unclassified: 6
Part-time: 1
Entity Fiscal Year End:
4/30         7/31         10/31         Other (identify date)
6/30         9/30         12/31         None
Participation in State Employee Benefit Programs:
    Employees:
       participate in state retirement system(s) and/or state group insurance program(s)
       do not participate in state benefit programs

    Members:
       participate in state retirement system(s) and/or state group insurance program(s)
       do not participate in state benefit programs
A state agency provides: (Check all that apply and identify the state agency)
Per Diem Payments          State Agency: Louisiana Public Defender Board
Travel Reimbursements    State Agency: Louisiana Public Defender Board
Other (explain)    State Agency:
Is this entity a budget unit or included within a budget unit of the State of Louisiana as defined by LSA-R.S. 39:2?
   Yes    No
  If yes, identify the budget unit and the budget schedule number below:
  Budget Unit Name:
  Budget Schedule Number:
Notes On 4/5/17, updated FY17 per diem and reimbursements paid to Board members - ag
On 6/20/17, updated FY17 P.D. and Reimb. paid to Board members; added new board member (Stearns), replacing T. Davenport (resigned 6/16/17)
All sections except Budgets updated on 10/4/18 by AG
Budget section updated on 11/28/18. Note that on the Means of Financing section, the IAT amounts are reflected in the operating expenses amounts on the Expenditures section.

All sections updated and submitted as final on 12/4/19. ag
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