There is hereby established as an independent agency of state government, attached for administrative purposes to the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, the Department of Public Advocacy, in order to provide for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of a state-sponsored and controlled system for:

1. (1) The representation of indigent persons accused of crimes or mental states which may result in their incarceration or confinement; and
2. (2) The pursuit of legal, administrative, and other appropriate remedies to ensure the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, independent of any agency that provides treatment, services, or rehabilitation to persons with disabilities. For the purposes of this chapter, "persons with disabilities" shall refer to those persons eligible for protection and advocacy services under Public Laws 99-319, 102-569, 103-218, 106-170, and 106-402 as amended and any other federal enabling statute hereafter enacted that defines the eligible client base for protection and advocacy services.

Effective: June 29, 2017

History: Amended 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 167, sec. 9, effective June 29, 2017. -- Amended 2012 Ky. Acts ch. 151, sec. 2, effective July 12, 2012. -- Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 85, sec. 115, effective June 26, 2007. -- Amended 2002 Ky. Acts ch. 283, sec. 1, effective July 15, 2002. -- Amended 1984 Ky. Acts ch. 338, sec. 1, effective July 13, 1984. -- Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 155, sec. 19, effective June 17, 1978. -- Amended 1976 Ky. Acts ch. 177, sec. 1. -- Created 1972 Ky. Acts ch. 353, sec. 1. Legislative Research Commission Note (6/26/2007). 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 85, relating to the creation and organization of the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, instructs the Reviser of Statutes to correct statutory references to agencies and officers whose names have been changed in that Act. Such a correction has been made in this section.