March 19, 2026 − Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair, announced over $250,000 in new funding for public defenders and indigent defense offices in Philadelphia and Montgomery County. The money was awarded from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) FY25-26 Indigent Defense Grant Program Fund.
“I’m proud to see this funding reach deserving public defender offices in the 7th senatorial district and across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Hughes. “When I introduced bipartisan legislation to establish this funding and the Indigent Defense Advisory Committee, our mission was clear: to overhaul Pennsylvania’s indigent defense system and provide essential support to both public defenders and their clients. We are delivering on that promise, and we will continue working to ensure equal justice for all.”
$7.5 million was invested in the grant fund in the FY25-26 budget, which marked the second time in Pennsylvania’s history that state funds were dedicated to supporting public defenders and county indigent defense offices throughout the Commonwealth.
More information can be found on PCCD’s website.