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HB 953

Study Committee on Assistant District Attorney/Assistant Public Defender/Private Assigned Counsel Pay.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Mary Belk and 12 co-sponsors

Creates a legislative study committee statewide to review pay for ADAs, APDs, and PACs, with reports to guide potential future pay changes.

Passed 2nd Reading
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Bill Summary · HB 953

HB 953 — Study Committee on Assistant District Attorney / Assistant Public Defender / Private Assigned Counsel Pay

Status: Passed 2nd Reading
Introduced: November 12, 2024
Primary sponsors (per bill text version): Representatives Budd, Carson Smith, and T. Brown

Purpose / Intent

HB 953 creates a legislative study committee to examine and advise on pay rates and pay structures for three groups central to criminal justice delivery: assistant district attorneys (ADAs), assistant public defenders (APDs), and private assigned counsel (PAC). The aim is to identify pay-related factors that affect recruitment and retention and to develop information and recommendations for potential legislative or budgetary action.

Key provisions

  • Establishes the "Study Committee on Assistant District Attorney, Assistant Public Defender, and Private Assigned Counsel Pay Rates" (the Committee).
  • Membership (as reflected in bill versions):
    • 12 voting members drawn from the General Assembly, prosecutorial offices, indigent defense, and the bar. Early versions specify: 2 House members (appointed by the Speaker), 2 Senate members (appointed by the President Pro Tempore), 2 appointees from the Conference of District Attorneys, 2 from the Office of Indigent Defense Services, 2 criminal-law practitioners appointed by the NC Bar Association, and 2 criminal-law practitioners appointed by the Chief Justice.
    • Committee-substitute versions adjust membership to include executive directors (or designees) of the Conference of District Attorneys and Indigent Defense Services and reallocate some appointed slots.
    • Cochairs: substitute version names the President Pro Tempore and Speaker as designating cochairs from among their appointees; earlier text identifies executive directors as nonvoting cochairs.
  • Duties: study (at minimum)
    • Current pay levels and structures for ADAs, APDs, and PACs statewide and by cost‑of‑living categories (urban/suburban/rural).
    • Comparisons with neighboring/peer states.
    • Regional cost differences (housing availability/cost, other local costs).
    • Factors influencing law students and attorneys in choosing public‑sector prosecution/defense careers (amenities, schools, economic opportunity).
    • Structured pay models used by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the U.S. Armed Services; other relevant subjects the Committee deems necessary.
  • Administration: Legislative Services provides staff and resources; members receive per diem and travel expenses under applicable statutes; quorum is a majority of voting members.
  • Reporting: Interim report due March 1, 2026; final report due March 1, 2027. Reports to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety and the Senate and House appropriations committees on justice/public safety.

Who is affected

  • Primary subjects: assistant district attorneys, assistant public defenders, and attorneys serving as privately assigned counsel.
  • Indirectly affected: law students and early-career attorneys, local court systems, counties (if recommendations affect compensation structures that involve local funding), and state budget/appropriations authorities who would consider any proposed pay changes.

Timeline and procedural notes

  • Committee meets at the call of its cochairs; staffed by Legislative Services.
  • Interim and final reports are statutorily required (March 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027).
  • The Committee itself does not change pay — any legislative or budgetary implementation would require subsequent action.
  • The bill’s text evolved across versions (membership and cochairs adjusted in a committee substitute).

Potential impact

  • Short term: generates data, analysis, and policy recommendations to inform lawmakers on pay disparities, recruitment/retention challenges, and regional cost drivers.
  • Medium/long term: could lead to legislative or budget proposals to increase or restructure compensation for ADAs, APDs, or PACs—potential fiscal implications for State and possibly local budgets depending on proposals.
  • Administrative costs: modest (per diem/travel, staff support) tied to Committee operations; no immediate wage or budget changes contained in the bill itself.

If you want, I can:
- Extract and display the exact committee membership language from the latest substitute version; or
- Draft a short one‑page memo summarizing likely budgetary consequences if the Committee recommends specific pay increases.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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