A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the establishment of public defender offices on a statewide basis.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 7A‑498.7 reads as rewritten:
"(a)	The following counties of the State are organized into the defender districts listed below, and in each of those defender districts an office of public defender is established:   
Defender District	Counties
	
1	Camden, Chowan, Currituck,
	Dare, Gates, Pasquotank,
	Perquimans
2	Beaufort, Hyde, Martin, Tyrell,
	Washington
 3	Carteret, Craven, Pamlico, Pitt
	
4	Duplin, Jones, Onslow, Sampson
5	New  Hanover, Pender
6	Bertie, Halifax, Hertford,
	Northampton
7	Edgecombe, Nash, Wilson
8	Greene, Lenoir, Wayne
9	Caswell, Franklin, Granville,
	Person, Vance, Warren
10	Wake
11	Harnett, Johnston, Lee
12	Cumberland
13	Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus
14	Durham
 15	Alamance, Orange, Chatham
 16	 Hoke, Robeson,
	Scotland
	
17	Rockingham, Stokes, Surry
18	Guilford
19	Cabarrus, Montgomery, Moore,
	Randolph, Rowan
20	Anson, Richmond, Stanly, Union
21	Forsyth
22	Alexander, Davidson, Davie,
	Iredell
23	Alleghany, Ashe, Wilkes, Yadkin
24	Avery, Madison, Mitchell,
	Watauga, Yancey
25	Burke, Caldwell, Catawba
26	Mecklenburg
 27	 Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln
28	Buncombe
 29	Henderson, McDowell, Polk,
	Rutherford, Transylvania
30	Cherokee, Clay, Graham,
	Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain.
"
SECTION 2.  The Judicial Department, Office of Indigent Defense Services, shall use available funds during the 2011‑2013 biennium for the expansion of existing public defender offices providing legal services to the indigent population under the oversight of the Office of Indigent Defense Services and for the creation of new public defender offices established by Section 1 of this act. These funds may be used for salaries, benefits, equipment, and related expenses.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective January 1, 2012.