Opinion No.

Ms. Didi Sallings, Executive Director Arkansas Public Defender Commission Suite 201, 101 East Capitol Avenue Little Rock, Arkansas 72201

Dear Ms. Sallings:

This is in response to your request for an opinion concerning the salaries of public defenders. In your letter, you stated that some public defenders, who were previously county employees or under contract with a county, became state employees effective January 1, 1998. You have indicated that in some instances the state salary appropriation for a position is less than the salary the individual was receiving under the previous system. In…