The Idaho Public Defense Commission is a state agency. It writes the rules about how the public defense system works. The process of writing rules is called “negotiated rulemaking”. This is a process open to the public. The Idaho Public Defense Commission is traveling around Idaho in June to put on public meetings about the new rules (find dates and proposed rules in PDF at bottom of page. The public may go to any of the seven public meetings in June. The ACLU of Idaho hopes this document will provide the public with a clear explanation of the rules being negotiated and how to get involved, including how to comment on the Proposed rules before the August 15, 2018 deadline.

Which Rules are the Focus for This Summer's Negotiated Rulemaking?

  1. One new rule is about the data the Idaho Public Defense Commission collects. That data comes from public defenders.
  2. A second new rule is about the contracts between counties and public defenders. Contracts include certain agreements between counties and public defenders, and this rule will say what those agreements should be.
  3. Finally, this summer’s negotiated rulemaking will also focus on the standards for public defenders. Standards are the minimum requirements for what a public defender needs to do in each case.

Please find the full guide to the PDC's Summer Negotiated Rule Making Process here: