A Senate committee voted to report House Bill 2351 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass as amended; the bill would increase hourly compensation for attorneys appointed to represent indigent persons in criminal, juvenile and abuse-and-neglect cases and for attorneys serving as guardians ad litem in state courts.

Counsel described the committee substitute as technical and said the bill increases in-court compensation from $80 to $90 per hour and out-of-court compensation from $60 to $70 per hour for appointed attorneys. The bill also requires the West Virginia Public Defender Services to provide an annual report to the legislative interim health committee and other bodies summarizing legal services provided by panel attorneys serving as guardians ad litem, beginning July 1, 2025. Counsel noted that an earlier fiscal note tied to the introduced bill estimated a fiscal impact of roughly $10 million, but that the committee substitute reduced compensation amounts and that Finance should request an updated fiscal note from Public Defender Services.

Senators asked whether the compensation increase had occurred recently; counsel said it had been some years and that the bill aimed to increase participation among panel attorneys, particularly guardians ad litem, by improving pay. The committee adopted the amendment as explained by counsel by voice vote and then voted to report the measure to the full Senate with a referral to the Committee on Finance.

If enacted, HB 2351 would raise hourly pay for appointed counsel and require annual reporting about guardian ad litem services; committee discussion suggested Finance should request an updated fiscal-note estimate from Public Defender Services reflecting committee-substitute language.