On Wednesday, Jan. 26, Governor Charlie Baker filed his final budget, the proposal for Fiscal Year 2023. Included in the $48.5 billion was a compensation increase for assigned private counsel.
The MBA along with the Committee for Public Counsel Services has been advocating to raise the rates of pay for bar advocates in every category incrementally over a three-year period. Last year, the first year was funded in the FY22 budget. The governor’s budget proposal includes funding of the second and third years of the proposal. The proposal includes funding for hourly rates involving District Court, mental health and Juvenile Court cases at $65; Appeals Court, children and family law, and Superior Court cases at $85; and murder cases at $120.
The House and Senate are expected to take up their versions of the budget in the spring.