CANTON – St. Lawrence County Attorney Stephen Button will be traveling to Albany to discuss a bill that would require the state to cover costs associated with indigent defense.

Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell D-Theresa and Sen. Patricia Ritchie R-Heuvelton support the bill.

St. Lawrence County legislators have been pushing for the state to fund costs associated with indigent defense since early 2014.

In October of 2015, Button was among the representatives from around the state who met in Syracuse to see if they could move the issue along.

The meeting focused on what he called “an unfunded mandate release bill” put forward by Assemblywoman Patricia Fahey, a Democrat from the Albany area. The bill would require state reimbursement to counties the full amount of expenditures for indigent legal services.

Since that meeting, Sen. John DeFrancisco R-Syracuse has sponsored a bill in the Senate, which Ritchie has cosponsored.

Assemblywoman Russell and Button will be attending a joint meeting with Sen. DeFrancisco and Assemblymember Fahey, which is set to take place Thursday.

"St. Lawrence County appreciates the bipartisan, bicameral leadership displayed by Senator Ritchie, Senator DeFrancisco, Assemblywoman Fahy, Assemblyman Lentol and Assemblywoman Russell in seeking ways to not only assist struggling localities with alleviating the burdens of unfunded mandates but in seeking to ensure justice for all, as commanded by the sixth amendment to the United States Constitution,” Button said. “St. Lawrence County Legislators, led by Legislator Denesha, Legislator Lightfoot, Legislator Dann, Legislator Burke and County Administrator Doyle, have actively sought relief on this issue for the past year. It is clear that our State representatives have heard the call and are answering with true solutions to the problem. The message they send is clear: While the Hurrell-Harring Settlement may have been limited to only five counties, New York State will not forget the other fifty-seven counties or their residents."

In the 2016 budget St. Lawrence County has allocated $2.34 million to fund indigent defense.

According to the proposed legislation, payment of the indigent defense would be phased in incrementally through 2019, with reimbursements beginning in April of 2016.

The legislation would require the state to cover 25 percent of the expenses in 2016, 50 percent in 2017, 75 percent in 2018 and 100 percent for subsequent years.