HOUSE BILL 458

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007

INTRODUCED BY

Patricia A. Lundstrom

AN ACT

RELATING TO PROCUREMENT; LIMITING CONTRACTS FOR PUBLIC DEFENDERS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     Section 1. LIMITATION OF PUBLIC DEFENDER CONTRACTS.--

          A. A legal entity shall not be paid in excess of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in any twelve-month contract period for work pursuant to the Public Defender Act.

          B. The limitation set forth in Subsection A of this section shall not be applied to limit the ongoing representation of a client by a legal entity once an attorney-client relationship has been established between that legal entity and that client.

          C. For the purposes of this section, "legal entity" means an attorney doing business as a sole proprietor or a corporation, or two or more attorneys doing business together as a partnership or corporation.

     Section 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is October 1, 2007.

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