ALPENA — A bill expanding the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC) to include the defense of indigent juvenile delinquents that stalled in Michigan’s legislature is now back in discussion.

The reintroduced bill is now under the names House Bill 4070 and Senate Bill 81 of 2025. The original bill was House Bill 4630 of 2023.

The bill amends the Indigent Defense Commission Act, an act which created the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission in 2013, to include the defense of indigent juvenile delinquents. The bill would add one member to the 18-member commission with experience in juvenile defense, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency’s bill analysis.

The content in the reintroduced bill differs some from the original. For instance, the new bill amends the Indigent Defense Commission Act to modify certain definitions to delete the term “criminal,” according to the bill analysis.

It also adds a section that would prohibit the MIDC from issuing a grant to an indigent defense system without an approved plan and cost analysis required by the Act.

Senate Bill 81 has passed in the Senate. The bill was received by the House on March 18 and has been referred to the committee on judiciary, according to the official record on the Michigan Legislature website.

“I am so glad to see that both the Senate and the House continue to recognize the importance of this issue,” said Northeast Michigan Regional Defender Office Attorney Julie Miller. “Providing minimum standards and fair compensation for representation of youth in the juvenile justice system is just the right thing to do.”

“Every one person, regardless of age, has a right to an attorney,” said Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheyborgan, in a statement. “However, there is no constitutional requirement for children to be provided with legal representation in Michigan. That must change. Kids are just as much citizens as adults. This plan recognizes that and ensures all people, including children, have a right to legal representation.”

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@TheAlpenaNews.com.