By Steve Leblanc – Associated Press / May 27, 2011 Also Thursday, the Senate passed measures designed to overhaul the state’s public defender program and tighten escalator safety rules. The public defender amendment approved by the Senate calls for public defenders to handle 30 percent of criminal cases involving indigent defendants. Supporters say shifting more cases to public defenders would save the state money, though opponents say those savings could be offset by the need to hire additional lawyers. [More: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/05/27/mass_senate_oks_305_billion_state_budget/ ]
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Massachusetts Senate OKs $30.5 billion state budget