07/18/08 Texas - The Kaufman County Public Defenders Office received an award from the Texas Association of Counties. Created in 2006, the office was recognized for "Best Practices" in the Public Safety and Corrections category. 07/16/08 Texas - Howard County announced that it will join the Texas Public Defender Task Force. Howard County doesn't have an attorney certified to defend capital cases, so their membership in the Texas Public Defender Task Force is expected to cut costs. 07/16/08 Minnesota - The Association of Minnesota Counties may file suit against the state government of Minnesota after budget cuts resulted in the elimination of state funding for appointed counsel in cases involving Children in Need of Protection or Services. 06/20/08 Georgia - While the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council had originally planned on shutting down the Atlanta Metro Conflict Public Defender Office, they have now decided to keep 7 of 17 attorneys employed. This was done in an effort to provide some representation for indigent defendants involved in conflict cases despite seeing their funding cut. 06/20/08 Maine - Attorneys for Maine's indigent defendants will have to wait until FY09 to be paid for work during June, as budgetary problems led to the state delaying payment of all vouchers turned in during the month of June. 06/18/08 Maryland - Attorneys representing a man charged with murdering a correctional officer are petitioning for the removal of any possibility that their client could face the death penalty. They claim that at $50 an hour, they are so underpaid by the state that they cannot provide adequate representation for a capital case. For additional news regarding indigent defense, click here.