This bill (H-0912.1, House Bill 1956) adds new sections to chapter 2.70 RCW directing the Office of Public Defense to create and administer, subject to available appropriations, a training program for public defense mitigation specialists and paralegals new to public defense and a statewide pool of public defense paralegals to provide as-needed support to counsel contracted with the office. The training must cover public defense standards, client communication, applicable ethical standards, and offer networking; it may be delivered in person or remotely and can include recorded materials, and the office must conduct recruitment outreach to justice-impacted and formerly incarcerated persons. The paralegal pool must prioritize support for solo practitioners, very small private law firms contracted with the office, and practitioners contracted to provide postconviction representation, and procurement outreach must include justice-impacted and formerly incarcerated persons with paralegal training or experience. The act sets deadlines, subject to appropriation: the office must offer at least one class each for paralegals and public defense mitigation specialists, and must establish at least ten full-time paralegals in the pool by June 30, 2027. The act takes effect July 1, 2026. The bill is procedural in nature, creating new programmatic duties and a staffing pool rather than altering criminal penalties. The text provided does not specify appropriation amounts, statutory section numbers for the new provisions, or definitions for key terms (for example, “public defense mitigation specialists,” “very small private law firms,” “full-time paralegals,” or “justice-impacted persons”), and other operational details and hiring or procurement procedures are not included.

If enacted, the Office of Public Defense would have to set up and run new training for entry-level public defense paralegals and mitigation specialists and create a pool of at least 10 full‑time paralegals to be available to contracted defense counsel by June 30, 2027. That would likely shift more day‑to‑day investigative and casework support to those pooled paralegals, especially helping solo practitioners, very small private firms and attorneys handling postconviction work who are contracted with the office; it would also open recruitment pathways for justice‑impacted and formerly incarcerated people with relevant experience. The office will need budget authority, staff time, and hiring steps to deliver classes and build the paralegal pool, so the practical rollout depends on specific appropriations and hiring details that the bill does not provide. Key implementation elements are unclear or undefined in the text provided—exact funding amounts, formal definitions of terms like “very small firm” or “full‑time paralegal,” and operational procedures—so whether and how fully these measures take effect will likely depend on later budget and administrative decisions.