AN ACT to appropriate funds to support the forsyth county public defender's office.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to Indigent Defense Services the sum of four hundred fifty‑six thousand one hundred one dollars ($456,101) in nonrecurring funds in the 2022‑2023 fiscal year to establish four time‑limited, full‑time positions for three years consisting of two assistant public defenders, one legal assistant, and one investigator for the purpose of addressing the case backlog created by the COVID‑19 pandemic. These positions shall be located in Forsyth County.

SECTION 1.(b)  When developing the base budget, as defined in G.S. 143C‑1‑1, the Director of the Budget shall include funding for Public Defender Services (Fund Code: 1320) by an additional four hundred forty thousand five hundred thirty‑four dollars ($440,534) in nonrecurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year and an additional four hundred forty thousand five hundred thirty‑four dollars ($440,534) in nonrecurring funds for the 2024‑2025 fiscal year.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2022.